LoLo-Eatable

NOBU InterContinental Hong Kong by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa

2009-12-11T18:02:00.023+07:00

As you may know, NOBU is one of the world’s acclaimed Japanese restaurant -- known for its innovative new-style Japanese cuisine ... people keep waiting and wanting to experience at NOBU RESTAURANT.

NOBU restaurant in fact is co-owned by Chef Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa who is known for his innovative fusion cuisine mixed a traditional Japanese dishes with South American ingredients.

We experienced on lunch at NOBU InterContinental Hong Kong on day ... mostly the dish we ordered were set lunch ... starting with green salad with Japanese Dressing ... including in all lunch set

Donburi Lunch -- Oyako Donburi (HK$130) served with salad, Miso Soup, and Oshinko (pickle vegetable)

Unagi Donburi (HK$180) -- Japanese Eel served with salad, Miso Soup, and Oshinko

NOBU LUNCH DISHES includes Salad, Miso Soup, Rice & Oshinko
Salmon with Teriyaki (HK$165)

Tempura Lunch (HK$185)

Also one sushi ... consists of salmon skin ...

Anyway, I won't say much about NOBU Hong Kong here ... if you want to try or experience what Chef Nobu has innovated on, go for it. Noted that Chef Nobu himself does not be here since he has Norwegian-born executive chef Oyvind Naesheim, who was previously second-in-command at Nobu's very popular London outlet together with the assistance of executive sushi chef Hideki Endo and the rest of his team instead.

However, I provide you this link for one restaurant review about this place (which I tend to agree with her). See : Nobu Hong Kong Restaurant Review ...

Nobu InterContinental Hong Kong
18 Salisbury Road
Kowloon
Hong Kong

Open daily for lunch from 12:00 noon - 2:30 pm and dinner from 6:00 pm -11:00 pm.
For reservations, please call +852 2313 2323

Restaurant Website : http://hongkong-ic.dining.intercontinental.com/honic/nobu.html

Modern way to get Warm Soyabean Milk in bottle

2009-12-11T17:36:00.007+07:00

This was found by my nephew about this innovation ... it's the way selling soyabean milk in bottle !!! Remember, all Hongkongers required warm or hot food for starting their day ??? These days due to the rush, there must be one thing that could help consumers to enjoy the old traditional way of drink such as soyabean milk.

I found this cabinet myself at 7-Eleven shop -- It's the Vitasoy Brand where the cabinet was located at the entrace way. Consumers can easily pick up and carry to cashier point for payment.

It's the hot cabinet -- outside might look alike to normal fridge but in fact inside contained hot temperature which lead to have a hot soyabean milk in bottle !!!

Bulldog's Bar & Grill at Lan Kwai Fong

2009-12-11T16:27:00.018+07:00

As we went to Lan Kwai Fong, we decided to select one place that we were able to hang out long ... Bulldog's Bar & Grill was selected ... In fact, we intended to go to 'Dublin Jack - the irish pub' but we walked into the wrong one ... Dublin Jack is upstairs while Bulldog's is downstairs !!!

Bulldog's was designed as an old-fashioned British Pub -- full with vintage London Tube signs / Black & White Prints / Old signage of old products ...

As the background, Pub is an informally name called for public house, which is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks on the premises. Traditionally pub also sells food, along with salted crisps or peanuts ... this is a strategy to help increasing beer and alcholic drinks sales. In England, it was called "Pub grub" for foods sold in pub which include British food items such as steak and ale pie, shepherd's pie, fish and chips, or even Sunday Roast and pastries.

That night after feeling a bit hungry, I decided why not trying some of their food -- so I ordered a Fish and Chips ... Fish and chips (or known as fish 'n' chips) is a deep-fried fish (which could be cod, haddock, or flounder) in batter with deep-fried potatoes.

At Bulldog's, it was said that it was prepared in beer batter served with chunky chips and tartar sauce (HK$115) ... For me, it's big with 3 big pieces of fish and full loads of chips !!! Fish was so fresh and so white plus batter which was not soaky at all (even left it to be cold).

BULLDOG'S BAR & GRILL
17 G/F Lan Kwai Fong Tel : 2523 3528

Lan Kwai Fong -- before Chistmas arrives !!!

2009-12-11T15:26:00.007+07:00

Lan Kwai Fong is a small square of streets in Central District of Hong Kong. It is very popular for expatriate in Hong Kong for drinking, dining, and pubbing. As I said 'expatriate', it means a majority of the crowds are non-Cantonese Hongkongers including foreigners ... Yes Yes, it's the place where English is the major language here (predominant) !!!

Lan Kwai Fong as an area is defined by D'Aguilar Street and the smaller lane, Lan Kwai Fong ... an L-shaped, cobble-stoned lane consists of lots of pubs, bar, and restaurants ... and because it's nearly Christmas ... all the Christmas Decoration was set ... Even the Santa got drunk !!!

Cova Caffe Ristorante at Harbour City, Tsim Sha Sui

2009-12-11T09:53:00.038+07:00

Cova is the name of antique patisserie in Milan, Italy -- it was founded in 1817 which is very famous on its fresh pastries, confectioneries, and cappuccino ... a kind of prestigious brand name for European Royal Families and aristocrats those day.

However, in year 1993, Cova expanded its branding into Hong Kong territory starting with Paticceria-Confetteria followed by Caffe Ristorante which still remain Italian delicacies and essence till now !!! In total, Cova has five restaurants and ten patisseries across Hong Kong the territory...

Here is what I about to say on 'Cova Caffe Ristorante' ... in Harbour City Branch

The dinner was said in normal menu ... however, the price has said as :
Antipasto HK$168 / Primo Piatto HK$188 / Secondo Piatto HK$228 / Antipasti Buffet HK$208

Table of Antipasti Buffet as shown below :

However, dinner price can be combined as ; Antipasto + Primo Piatto HK$218 / Antipasto + Secondo Piatto HK$268 / Antipasto + Speciale dello Chef HK$388

Before our dishes were served, the bread was served (variety to be selected) with a plate of Olive Oil

See sample of the set for Antipasto + Primo Piatto
Antipasto (TAGLIATA DI TONNO AL SESAME & MOSTARDA - Light seared tuna tagliata coated with saseme seed served with wild green salad & English whole grain mustard dressing) ... a thick of tuna meat which was cooked only the outside served with rocket salad and endives leave !!!

Primo Piatto FETTUCCINE AI PORCINI & MENTA - Fettuccine with fresh imported porcini, Orvieta & fresh mint ... a lot of porcini in ... able to detect as soon as it's placed on table including truffle oil which was very strong.

However, I was lucky enough to have this Chef's Special Dinner Menu -- made from Boston Lobster !!!

CREMA D'ARAGOSTA O ZUPPA DEL GIORNO (Lobster bisque or daily fresh homemade soup) -- in fact I had Lobster Bisque ... the taste & the aroma was so pure & natural ... naturally sweet from fresh lobster ... this is the way Italian delicacies can transform the US material to be !!!

LINGUINE CON ARAGOSTA, PORCINI & POMODORO (Linguine with Boston lobster & porcini in cherry tomato sauce) ... don't worry about we need to handle the lobster from it shell since it was put out to fried with the pasta sauce already. In fact, the hero of this dish is lobster which (in my opinion) it overwhelmed the cherry tomato sauce ... the sauce was also good !!!

Lastly, the order included also the tea or coffee ... Cova Coffee !!!

COVA CAFFEE RISTORANTE
Lee Garden : shop G10, G/F, Lee Gardens, 33 Hysan Ave., Causeway Bay Tel : 2907 3399
Pacific Place : level 3, Pacific Place, Causeway Bay Tel : 2198 9660
Harbour City : shop G220 G/F, Gateway Arcade, Tsimshatsui Tel : 2907 3882
Centro : shop 203, 2/F Alexandra House, Central Tel : 2522 1833
Festival Walk : shop LG 1- 11, Kowloon Tong Tel : 2265 8688
World Trade Centre : shop G011-012 G/F Causeway Bay Tel : 2895 1990

Pepper Lunch in Hong Kong

2009-12-11T04:18:00.026+07:00

Mentioning about 'Pepper Lunch', ones would consider it as another fast food food chain from Japan. We would call it 'a fast steak restaurant' which has more than 200 branches available in South East Asia including USA. See also 'Pepper Lunch in Singapore' where I consider it as one of Japanese Food Bombarding ...

Anyway, to make the history short, Pepper Lunch was created in 1994 by chef and inventor Kunio Ichinose, who wanted to serve quality fast food without hiring a chef. His advice was to use a hot metal plates (heated to 500 degrees Fahrenheit or 260 Celsius) where he put raw meat with vegetables and/or rice on. The strategy was to make it cook in front of the customer by customer with a rare or well done according to customer's preference.

And that's it another successful fast food chain ... which is now also in Hong Kong ... The culinary capital of Asia !!! I, myself had my first experience at 'Food Republic' -- a food court of Silver Court Building, Canton Road, Kowloon. It happened when I was so hungry around 11pm ... then I turned to be local to enjoy foreign food chain !!!

By the way, it's the 'Food Republic' -- the mega food court ... same as in Singapore ... please see reference at : food republic a mega food court in Singapore

The order were placed as : Unagi Pepper Rice (HK$38) ... a real unagi (Japanese Eel) ... not unagi-don but it's so smokey grilly when burning on hot plate

Cheese Chicken Pepper Rice (HK$39) -- a cooked chicken pieces topped with shreded of Cheese ... sticky of melted cheese burnt on the hot plate was the perfect combination

Peper Lunch Meal is planned to mix with a choice of either the special honey brown sauce (Amakuchi) or garlic soy sauce (Karakuchi). Actually it depends on one's taste since I personally feel that some dish don't require any sauce on while some require the one different from Peper Lunch's suggestion.

For more information about Pepper Lunch : http://www.pepperlunch.com/

Remark : There are now 4 branches available also in Thailand (which I have not had experience on yet) ... The setting is different from what I mentioned earlier since it's stand alone outlet (not as food court)

La Maison du Chocolat in Hong Kong

2009-12-10T17:29:00.029+07:00

La Maison du Chocolat is one of the finest Parisian chocolate brands in the world ... it is also known as a world-renowned collection of delicious and fresh handmade chocolates, truffles and pastries !!!

La Maison du Chocolat has a major presence in Paris, London, New York, Toyko, Cannes, and most recently Hong Kong ... this is what we experienced in Price Building, Central District, Hong Kong ...

At this shop, there's also seating for customers to experience their chocolate drinks and pastries ...

We ordered hot chocolate (HK$50) which was available in two as :

Guayaquil -- smooth dark chocolate lightly infused with vanilla ... the colour is darker but the texture is lighter (more watery).

Caracas -- blend of full bodied cocoa beans ... the texture is thicker than the other one.

Belle Chocolate Tart (HK$50) -- Crunchy sweet crust filled with dark chocolate ganache and topped with pear compote -- crispy and real crunchy crust plus a real full of chocolate ... the perfect part is on pear which has a thin layer of sugary sticky on !!!

LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT
PARIS
www.lamaisonduchocolat.com
Pacific Place, Shop 246, Admiralty Tel : +852 2522 2010
Elements, Shop 2040A, Kowloon Tel : +852 2196 8333
IFC Mall, Shop 1050, Central Tel : +852 2801 4880
Prince's Building, Shop 109, Central Tel : +852 2801 4122

Tai Ping Koon Restaurant (again) - the fusion of East & West

2009-12-10T14:55:00.026+07:00

I came here the first time at Tai Ping Koon Restaurant (on Granville Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon) once in February 2009. I impressed a lot with the restaurant itself ... since the restaurant decoration was set as being back in 20 years ago ... together with the waiters and captain ... see detail story at : Tai Ping Koon one of the oldest dining establishments.

This time again I came here for more food exploring ... however, it's still a lot to show ...

Back to Tai Ping Koon Story -- This place has been around since 1860 and offers a mix of Western and Chinese flavours. It's the place where Hong Kong people called 'soy sauce restaurants' in pre-fusion days. It was called also 'Hong Kong-Style Western Restaurant' ... Originally this type of restaurant was established during the old British Colonial Times in the territory. The cuisine is special because it represents the fusion of Chinese and Western Culinary Cultures. By futher adding local flavours, it shows a miniature version of Hong Kong's history and culture ... amazing !!!

Continuing the order from their recommended list (signature dishes) with TPK Style Fried Rice Noodles with Sliced Beef in Swiss Sauce (HK$78) ... This dish has a history of its own about the 'swiss sauce' ... Once upon a time, a foreigner went to Tai Ping Koon in Guangzhou and ordered 'Sweet Marinade Chicken Wings'. After eating, he exclaimed, "Sweet! Sweet! Good!" The waiter mistook the word 'sweet' as 'Swiss' and told his boss about it. Since then, 'Sweet Marinade Chicken Wings' was renamed 'Swiss Chicken Wings' by Tai Ping Koon ... Until now (after a hundred years of TPK's operation), it still spends five hours a day cooking the 'Swiss' sauce with premium light soy sauce, chicken bones, carrots, onions, spices and a sauce with essences accumulated over the last few decades ...

About the taste ... so irresistible ... a mixed blend of lots of things in sauce ... now I adore this 'swiss sauce' myself a lot !!!

And again since last time I liked the Fried Vegetable with Garlic Sauce (HK$50) ... so ordered again why not ?!?! but this time changed to be broccoli ... so garlicy ... a little bit too salty when comparing to young spinach last time.

and also the creme soup ... another one to try Seafood Bisque (HK$88) ... even though it looked so plain with orangy creamy soup ... underneath there're a lot of sea animals sinking ... shrimp, fish, squid,

Also last dish ... Mixed Grills ... a big dish consists of several kinds of grilled meats (in this case - beef, chicken, ox tounge, pork, ham) served with grilled tomatoes and french fried plus gravy !!!

Tai Pink Koon Restaurant :
Website : www.taipingkoon.com/home.html
Location : Map is availabe at : www.taipingkoon.com/emap.html
Branch 1 : 40, Granville Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon Reserved table Call: (852) 2721 3559
Branch 2 : 19-21, Mau Lam Street, Yaumati, Kowloon Reserved table Call: (852) 2384 1703
Branch 3 : 6, Pak Sha Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Reserved table Call: (852) 2576 9161
Opening Hour : 11:00am - midnight 12:00 (Close at Chinese New Year)

Mango Sago - a grasp & go dessert of Hong Kong

2009-12-10T14:15:00.015+07:00

I mentioned about Gaai Bin Gong once -- it's a street side store in Hong Kong ... it includes some fried products and also fruit juice ...

Read : Gaai Bin Gong where the Hong Kong Traditional Snack are
Read : Fruit Juice Hong Kong Street Food

Again, I have to admit that I'm not a kind of fruit juice drinker myself ... and also be a mango rejector !!! However, I can't help collect this information into my blog ... it's about Mango Juice ... or what called 'Mango Sago' -- a famous grasp & go dessert ... Traditional Hong Kong Style !!!

Normally sago means tiny translucent tapioca pearls served with shaved ice and fresh fruit full with variety of options such as strawberry, mango, kiwi, lychee, cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew -- and you can order with our without coconut milk.

Many brand of mango sago ... also many style of mango sago available here in Hong Kong ... but this is the kiosk that I would like to show you in-depth ... street kiosk at the corner of Lock Road, Kowloon ... no brand, no seat, just simply grasp & go, and everything are ready in fountain machine ... someone said to me that this kiosk has mango sago which was more yummy and lighter than the big brands !!! Anyway, taste it yourself ... it's personal preference !!!

Market on the Pier - Central Star Ferry Pier

2009-12-10T09:28:00.022+07:00

I personally like to cross from Kowloon to Hong Kong via Star Ferry -- a ferry service across Victoria Harbour between Hong Kong and Kowloon ... only HK$2.30 per person ... It's not only cheap but I can experience the view and cool breath of the ocean !!!

Luckily that day when we use the Star Ferry Service to Central, we found this fresh market (a kind of vegetable fair) at Central Star Ferry Pier 7 !!!

Imagine how busy the pier is ... now plus the market which was set in the mid of the pier ... a vegetable island setting !!! Then, walking around ... ummmmmm .... so fresh so big and so tempting ... Too bad we were here as tourist (no kitchen for cooking) !!!

one thing that seem to be top hits is 'Roselle' since each seller has it ... a kind of good for health ... another thing which was different from what Thai consume was the Roselle Drink ... Thais dried the flower then boil it while here they recommend to put these fresh roselle into hot water and break them into pieces with spoon !!! This is the same procedure that they do when drinking lemon water !!! However, we also saw another method of consuming by pouring just sugar on top ... noted that this is not sure since nobody translated what the seller told (we just saw the action) !!!

Aspasia's Buffet Breakfast at The Luxe Manor, Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong

2009-12-09T23:00:00.029+07:00

This is also another breakfast in modern luxury type ... since there is still a lot of 5 stars hotel in Hong Kong that provide luxury afternoon tea or even breakfast. In fact this is a Luxe Manor Hotel ... a trendy designed hotel in Hong Kong full with colorful and splendid European architecture ... The hotel design concept (as it claims) features a surreal concept and design: a modern reinterpretation of a European mansion featuring mythical characters within its architecture and design elements which recall the works of the twentieth century surrealists.

Aspasia is the Italian Restaurant located in this Luxe Manor Hotel ... I had once mentioned about Italian Lunch here (see : Gourmet Feast at Aspasia Restaurant) however, this time I will show you about Breakfast !!!

Another Breakfast Type in Hong Kong -- Western Style Breakfast Buffet HK$140 per person ++ ... consists of eggs, salmon (very good), sausages & ham & cold cuts, cereal, bread & bun (freshly made), pastry & muffin (also freshly made), fruit & yoghurt, drinks & fruit juice

It's all you can eat ... Food Quality was great especially Smoked Salmon and Grilled Italian Vegetable. Now talking about Croissant which I heard that it's great ... It was so funny that I found out that croissant texture was like bread (no layers at all) -- see picture below.

While other pastries have layers and aroma like croissant !!! Strange but Amazing Yummy indeed ... By the way, muffin was made freshly with fresh berries ... also another interesting item !!!

Look at the table setting below -- variety of table setting in European Style ... lots of crafting and colours.

ASPASIA
The Luxe Manor Hotel
39 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel : +852 3763 8800
Website : www.aspasia.com.hk

Hong Kong Breakfast - Chiu Fat Porridge Noodle Restaurant (Kawloon District)

2009-12-09T18:12:00.033+07:00

Hong Kong, the culinary capital of Asia, that what it's said for ... it's not only food for tourist or country visitor but it includes the Hong Kongian themselves !!! I have heard that Hong Kong People eat 5 meals a day (breakfast, lunch, afternoon, dinner, and supper) ... therefore, you can see a lot of quick and ready meal during the day ... except for the dinner at home which expected to be BIG !!!

Let me talk about morning first ... Hong Kong people is looking for something hot which is for increase energy ready for a start of a day ... therefore, one thing that we have normally seen is 'Jok' or 'Porridge' or 'Congee'. Rice was boiled with lots of water for a long long time till it become broken down and shite porridge. Hong Kong Congee normally be eaten with 'you char kway' or what called 'Chinese cruller' or 'Fried bread stick' which was served in pair or cut in pieces for dipping in congee.

In fact, I have mentioned once about morning congee in kowloon on my previous trip in Hong Kong ... I mentioned about 2 shops next to each street on Kowloon -- one on Lock Road and the other one on Hankow Road. The one on Lock Road was the one that I took the pictures showing. On this blog, I would mention the one on Hankow Road called 'Chiu Fat'.

You can't miss this shop for sure since there is a Thai signage as 'being favourite shop and be recommended by 'Thanadsri & ML. Pasan - His Son' ... that includes other language newspaper (Japanese) recommendation ... so famous !!! In fact, the entrace way was small since there were 2 seperated part (one is noodle and one is congee) -- seperate operation !!!

See the visual of Jok / Congee / Porridge which I ordered Century egg and Pork (HK$20) -- when it was served it would show only white porridge and sping onion ... all the egg and shredded pork was hidden below !!!

However, Chiu Fat is not selling only Porridge but also Noodle ... In fact, people eat porridge all day but normally noodle during lunch !!! On table there're always condiments such as chili oil and vinegar which they believe that vinegar will help digestion.

Below was the pictures of Fish Balls & Fish Cake with Noodle in Soup (HK$22) -- from the look, it seemed to be like 'white water'. In fact, it's a fish broth ... besides the fish ball and fish cake were so good !!! Amazing indeed !!!

However, drinks are also available ... I recommended Iced Lemon Tea (HK$13) ... a tradition drink made from black tea where you need long spoon to crush the lemon before you drink

and also Hot Almond Drink (HK$13) -- a milky drink made from ground almonds, not unlike soy milk or rice milk ... so almond essence and not as thick as milk which I like. It was served together with sugar ... I did not put any since I could taste a little of sweetness in it already.

CHIU FAT PORRIDGE NOODLE RESTAURANT
Shop B G/F 42 Howard Building, Hankow Road, Kowloon
Tel : 2311-1117
Open Daily from 8.00am - 1.00am

Tsui Wah Restaurant -- another Cha Chaan Teng in Hong Kong

2009-12-09T14:15:00.041+07:00

If you have read my earlier blog about Hong Kong Classic Tea House called Cha-Chaan-Teng before, you will understand this word and this type of eating place well (refer to : ChaChaan Teng for Western Chinese Style Tea House)

This is another Cha Chaan Teng in Central District called 'Tsui Wah Restaurant' -- this is a bit modern Cha Chaan Teng nowaday ... besides having lots of branch in both Hong Kong and Kawloon, Tsui Wah is also famous on both traditional Chinese, Western, and also snack ... I myself was amazed with their quality already !!!

This was happened at Tsui Wah Restaurant Central District Branch (on Wellington Street) ... you could be amazed how can we (two persons) finished with all of these items (in one afternoon) ?!?!

I myself have walked pass this shop for many times even I have seen the menu at the front about their bread and people kept walking in and out always ... it was so tempting to go in ... finally. Inside was so bright full with customers ... all tables were set like fast food chain ... menu was inserted on the table (underneath the glass).

We started our programme with drinks ... milk tea HK$14 -- as they said it's a traditional milk tea of Hong Kong (a local culture) ... smooth of tea and rich of milk ... not that sweet or bitter

Another drink ... Hot Sugar Cane Pear with Rhizone HK$17 ... another good stranger drink which we have never had before !!! Fresh Chinese Pear boiled with sugar cane -- so smooth in taste ... However, we could not identify about the rhizone that it's what kind of roots ?!?! I know only one thing ... so yummy !!!

Here comes the hero of our meal ... THE BREAD !!! -- carefully look at the size and its texture ...

Starting with Crispy Bun served with Sweet Condensed Milk HK$12 -- it's a big ball bun which I can explain to you all that it's a kind of Italian bread type texture ... passing the charcoal grilled then buttering and pouring with condensed milk ... one word 'yummy' !!! see below picture when we tore the bread texture apart ...

Pork Cartilage Bun HK$28 --- I called it 'Young Bone' of pork !!! It's a kind of stew pork ... made it till soft and tender but full with sauce putting in bun which was spread by mayo including cucumber pickle and green cabbage ... It was really suitable to name this bun cartilage bun since it contained lots of them ... my favourite !!!

That was only phase 1 ... we seemed to agree that we should try more of sandwiches and toast since the taste of bread we could not resist ...

Tsui Wah Crispy Pork Chop Bun HK$20 -- imagine the fried pork chop in Chinese Style (which was marinated with a little of salt and pepper) then fill into the bun with cucumber pickles and green leaves ... it's like steak sandwich but made from pork in Chinese Style (not American) !!!

French Toast 'HK style' HK$20 -- a thick slice of bread soaked in beaten eggs and fried in oil ... it's a Hong Kong Chinese Style so there's no milk or Cinnamon !!! It's a REAL taste of bread and egg ... still eating with syrub and butter ... again see the texture of bread that we tore off !!!

So in short, this Tsui Wah Restaurant is still original Cha Chaan Teng but in modern style ... the way of cooking and preparing still the same i,e., coffee and tea was made with what I called 'sock' !!!

Lastly see how Tsui Wah is proud of their bread ... see the print advertisement below ...

Tsui Wah Restaurant
G/F, 15 - 19 Wellington Street, Central Hong Kong
Tel : (852) 525-6338

Direction : just opposite the 'Famous' Yung Kee Roast Restaurant !!!

The famous Yung Kee of Central District Hong Kong

2009-12-09T09:09:00.032+07:00

This could one of the most famous restaurants for roasted goose on Hong Kong Island ... All the publicity mentioned about Yung Kee Restaurant that it has the most yummy roasted product which received awards such as 10 best restaurants in Asian ... Even I stood on the street, I could hear myself that this was the 'famous' Yung Kee !!!

However, I have noticed that it's not what local people eat in here ... Besides, it's a kind of restaurant that local people take visitors here (for business purposes) ... The rest of customers are tourist !!!

If you walk pass this restaurant, you could find the familiar visual such as long queue and lots of poutry hanging at the front ... where sometimes people taking photos of it (them) !!! Insides, there's also another queue (even you have called for booking) ... They were all petience enough to wait for the table. However, the system was good since there's a kind of walky-talky, queuing book, staffs who receive customers from point to point, incluidng elavator from floor to floor !!!

Insides, each floor was full with tables in a kind of big hall (clean and luxury) ... says the price of roasted products are source of 40% higher than other places

Now, it's time to see the food ... not only the roasted goose but also other roasted products i.e., pork, chicken, duck, and so on ... I recommend to order mixed in one plate so that you could enjoy everything in one !!! Below is the picture of roasted goose ... full with meat and crispy skin ... seem to be oily (a bit -- as normal)

and also roasted pork -- so meaty and full with honey aroma ... in fact I love this roast pork more than roast goose.

Other dishes from Yung Kee are normal Chinese Dishes from seafoods, stir-fried product, and so ...

Century Eggs with pickled ginger HK$7.50 -- or what's called Hundred-Year Egg ... a preserved egg made from mixing egg with a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice hull for several weeks to several months -- alkaline effect will make the yolk becomes a dark green, cream-like substance with a strong odor of sulphur and ammonia, while the white becomes a dark brown, transparent jelly with little flavor or taste. The century eggs at Yung Kee was great ... so tender on texture, flavour, and also odour !!!

Steamed Garoupa's Head & Belly with Garlic & Dried Tangerine Peels HK$230 -- this is one of my favourite (I can't believe it) ... it's fish !!! could not taste the fishy smell that I don't like ... the green vegetable underneath was so perfect (naturally sweet & crispy)

Roasted Young Pigeon -- small but meaty indeed, in fact the skin was so crispy !!!

Green Vegetable with Crab Meat -- another type of stir-fried green vegetable mixed with crab meat in sticky sauce

Fried Tofu with chilli salt -- always my favourite type of tofu ... deep frying the tofu then stiring with chilli salt again ... see how creamy the tofu inside !!!

YUNG KEE RESTAURANT
32-40 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
Tel : (852) 2522 1624
Website : http://www.yungkee.com.hk/

Location : in the heart of the Hong Kong Central District (4 minutes from the MTR Central Station - exit D2 on foot)

Tsim Chai Kee Noodle in Central Hong Kong

2009-12-09T02:59:00.023+07:00

It's a kind of my tradition too to have my Hong Kong 1st meal at Central area ... and it have to be Mak's Noodle (see my previous blog at : Mak's Noodle in Central, Hong Kong) ... However, it's was closed for internal renovation for a day !!! only thing I could think was 'why me?' and 'why it have to be today?'

Anyway, I have heard that there's also another noodle shop opposite Mak's Noodle called 'Tsim Chai Kee' ... in fact, every time I come to Mak's I always see the long queue at this shop ... Then I realize why ... since it's was served in big size with reasonable price (cheaper than Mak's).

This shop is famous on their size of fish ball and shrimp wanton ... in fact, there is not so many variety of noodles here but you can select type of noodle (from egg noodle, flat white noodle, and vermicelli) to go with type of topping (King Prawn Wanton, Minced Fish Ball, and Sliced Meat) including number of topping to be (1, 2 or 3 types)

Starting with two topping -- minced fish ball yellow noodle HK$16-- only two pieces of fish balls but the size was so big !!! The texture I had to say it's real fish.

Now, what about two topping on ... Shrimp wanton and Minced fish ball with flat white noodles HK$21 ... amazing the size indeed !!! seem like the noodle bowl was not big enough.

Look carefully at the Minced Fish Ball ... the size and the texture which you can see the fish skin in ... it's totally different from what we had in Thailand since it seemed to be real fish meat (not as white with flour as I used to have).

While the King Prawn Wanton was also full with shrimp in ... the size was also big (as big as fish ball) but inside contained lots of small pieces of shrimp ... I myself still prefer Mak's wanton since Mak's I could get not only shrimp taste but also other taste of ingredient and tender texture.

Another dish that I have seen on every table was 'vegetable with oyster sauce' HK$9 ... so naturally sweet of green vegetable (chinese bok choy) ... was blanched then poured with oyster sauce ... at the bottom of the dish I could see lots of water causing from blanching.

Tsim Chai Kee
98 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
Tel : (852) 2850-6471
Open Daily from 12:00 - 20:00

Starting the Hong Kong Trip again !!!

2009-12-09T02:03:00.014+07:00

Yep Yep ... this is the second time of the year that I went for Hong Kong Trip !!! Sorry that I was not able to upload the blog in real-time ... due to my clumsiness of forgetting the electric wire for my netbook ... Ha Ha Ha ... Anyway, it was the same as my tradition to have breakfast on land at Suwanabhumi Airport ... an American Breakfast !!!

And then this was Cathay Pacific Airlines served in-flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong ... Shrimp in red curry with rice !!! CX might think that the depart the plane from Bangkok, it must show how the Thai Curry was cooked (I guess) ... HuH ... lucky me that I had my eggs on land ...

By the way, you can see also that there's a Kit Kat Bar served ... it's Australian Made version !!! And look carefully on the fruit dish, it's all Thai Fruits ... this was a flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong ... my journey continued !!!

Flying Back from Paris to Bangkok

2009-04-16T21:30:00.015+07:00

Then, it's time for us to fly back to Bangkok, Thailand (From Paris -- Charles De Gaulle Airpor departure at 1pm) ... Therefore, there was enough time to enjoy our last proper meal in Paris -- Breakfast at our lovely hotel (Hotel Britannique) in small lovely dining room including a cup of tea in lovely living room. It's a small hotel (no chain) with old design & furnished which has been here in Paris for more than 30 years ... it was in the middle of everything in Chatelet Area.

Hotel Britannique
20, Avenue Victoria
75001, Paris
Tel : 01 42 33 74 59
www.hotel-britannique.fr

Then, it's time to fly back with Thai Airways again -- actually I did not expect much about food on Thai Airways. However, something strange & amazing happened ... The food quality was excellent (even the bread & croissant) including the service (from the flight attendances) -- It's such big different from what we had when we departed from Bangkok.

Starting with Cold Refreshment with peanuts ... followed by Lunch which were "Caribbean Salad, Fresh Fruit, Sauteed Chicken with Cream Green Pepper Sauce Linguini Pasta, Buttered Zucchini (wow so tasty with a natural sweet of zucchini), Soft Bread Roll, Butter, Cheese, Crackers, Chocolate Cake (so yummy with sticky chocolate), Tea & Coffee"

Then, there were also Sandwich served after 4-5 hours of flying. Then, before landing about 1 hour, another meal was served with "Herb Omelet (amazing that still soft & partly liquid inside), Sauteed Button Mushrooms, Fried Potatoes, Grilled Pork, Croissant, Baby Bread, Butter, Jam, Coffee & Tea"

Just a questions to Thai Airways that "Why the food quality and service quality are not the same ??? From Paris flight is much better than From Bangkok"

I think Thai Airways has headquarter in Bangkok ... Khun Ka , please explain ?!?!?

Lex Deux Magots in St-Germain-des-Pres

2009-04-16T18:06:00.013+07:00

When mention about hanging out in Paris, one could mean sitting in the cafe ... This is because you can pay only 2 or 3 Euro for coffee (normally espresso) and sit with small table as long as you want (without any waiter or waitress to ask you to move or order more).

Therefore, it is a must for Parisian to choose a café with an interesting view to sit back, relax, and see or take everything that goes by. However, there are some people who read or work on a laptop computer, which are not wrong for being in cafe. Cafe prices vary from area to area depends on proportion to the number of tourists since some of famous cafe means the one that tourists really need to go even coffee is more expensive than other places (I count at more than 3Euro per cup mean expensive) ... Just like Les Deux Magots in St German des Pres

But we went to Les Deux Magots ourselves ... once in a life time ... need to take this great opportunity (as tourists) -- since I don't know when I will be in Paris again.

Les Deux Magots name came from the two wooden statues of Chinese commercial agents (magots) that adorn one of the pillars of the cafe. This place has a reputation of meeting place of the city's literary & intellectual elite, philosophers including artists or writers such as Ernest Hemingway.

Another famous thing about Les Deux Magots is old-fashioned hot chocolate ... Here was the look ... Chocolat Chaud (7 Euro) and coffee (4.40Euro) - Both were served in small jug with price that more expensive than other cafes (but more delicious - thicker of chocolate but no after taste or dry out while coffee was so aromatic).

Les Deux Magots
6 Pl St-Germain-des-Pres 75006
Tel : 01 45 48 55 25
www.lesdeuxmagots.com

However, there were also another famous cafes in this area such as :

1) Cafe de Flore (172 Blvd St-Germain 75006) : The classic Art Deco interior with all red seating, mahogany, and mirror. Also another place that used to be for French intellectuals and Philosopher such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.
www.cafe-de-flore.com

2) Brasserie Lipp (151 Blvd St-Germain 75006 - just opposite to cafe de Flore) : This place was opened in late 19th century combines Alsatian beer, sauerkraut and sausages with excellent coffee. The interior is bright with ceramic tiles of parrots and cranes. Visitors were mostly French politicians and fashion gurus.
www.brasserie-lipp.fr

Cafe Le Zimmer since 1896

2009-04-16T16:37:00.014+07:00

This is one of the old cafe in Paris, France called 'Cafe Le Zimmer'. It located in a kind of upscale crowded of locals & tourists but with the good location since it was facing to fountain and across river Seine to see St, Chappelle and far sight Notre Dame.

Cafe Le Zimmer could be counted as one of the historic cafe/brasserie in Paris since it was here since 1896 in Chatelet area. Outside look the same as the other cafe, however, when stepping inside, we could see the astonishingly beautiful ceiling and grand decoration.

We went there one night for a cup of tea and a cup of Creme Brulee. In French it means for "burnt cream" ... It's made from a rich custard base topped with a layer of hard caramel, created by caramelizing sugar under a kind of blowtorch or intense heat to make it brownish and crispiness. It normally flavoured with just vanilla custard. However, at Cafe Le Zimmer, the vanilla came from Madagascar (as it said on the menu) ... I found out that this type of vanilla was commonly known as "Madagascar-Bourbon" vanilla, which is produced in a small region of the East African nation of Madagascar (the world's largest producer).

Actually, coming to Paris, we should go for Souffle Desserts instead of this crem brulee. However, as soon as I saw Creme Brulee on menu, I forgot about Souffle since Creme Brulee is an amazing enjoyment for me - it's so light, crisp, and delicious.

Look at how Creme Brulee was served in Cafe Le Zimmer ... it was in a flat bowl (with this flat we can enjoy more of the sugar crispiness as much as we can -- compared to some of the shop in Thailand, they always put in the tall shape cup or bowl). Ask me about the taste -- I think they have a secret of making this ... the smell of milk and eggs were so aromatic together with vanilla aroma. The sweetness was just right even though there was a thick layer of caramelized sugar on !!!

and yes, it went well with Tea -- Darjeeling Tea (of course, in France, it must be Mariage Freres -- the Mariage Family who know the French art of Tea and selling more than 500 high quality tea in 35 different countries)

Cafe Le Zimmer

1, place du Chatelet, Paris 75001

Tel: 01 42 36 74 03
www.lezimmer.com

Dinner Place in Paris on Sunnday -- Pasta Ricca

2009-04-16T15:18:00.011+07:00

It was really a trouble for Paris visitors to find eating place on Sunday since most of the shop are closed on Sunday (even the cafe, it's closed by mostly 1pm in the afternoon).

Therefore, one place that we can recommend for an easy dining place which is Situated in the heart of the historic Les Halles and Chatelet area on rue de la Reynie (just off Blvd De Sebastopol - near Square Des Innocants). A lot of people shopped and ate in the these area after we noticed that other area nearby was closed.

There are a lots of restaurant & sandwiches bar -- in terms of restaurant, I noticed that there were a lot of Italian & Pizza Restaurant. Again, it could come up as Dinner Set which consisted of 2 course plus a glass of wine or 1 dish plus a glass of wine at price 10Euro something (depends).

However, our pick was one Italian Restaurant named Pasta Ricca Restaurant. It was a simple Italian Restaurant where we selected type of pasta and selected again the topping sauce or type of cooking needed.

Here were our order ... Spagetthi Provencale (black olive tapenade, eggplant, red & green peppers, fresh tomatoes, fried with olive oil) and Tagliatelle Saumon Fume (smoked salmon with dilled perfume creme sauce)

Even we ordered only 1 dish each, we have spent time there for more than 1.5hour. But when we read through the menu again, it said "All our meals are freshly prepared to order and are therefore subject to availability. During busy period, some items may take a little longer (but will be worth to wait) !!!"

Then we waited, but as soon as we had the first bite, we agreed that it's worth waiting for this meal --- the pasta was cooked well (al dente -- has been cooked so as to be firm but not hard) and the way it was cooked just perfect like having it in Italy not Paris !!!

In addition, the size of each dish was so HUGE !!! @10.50Euro and we could not finished it ...

Pasta Ricca Restaurant
25 reu de la Reynie - 75001 Paris
Tel : 01-40-26-65-34

Restaurant L' atlantide during Rue Mouffetard Market Visit

2009-04-16T14:47:00.014+07:00

As mentioned earlier that within Rue Moufeetard Market Street, there were also a lot of small cafes and restaurants including food stand (stalls) such as sandwiches (or even sushi bar).

Here was the one that we selected 'Restaurant L'atlantide'... we was not be recommended by the book or anyone else but the reason we selected was that it was in the small alley (not like other restaurants which were in the main walking street). Therefore, it was not crowded (at the time we arrived) ...

It was famous for restaurant to come up with lunch set in France -- it was normally a 3 courses meal with the price that more reasonable than a-lar-cart dish. Therefore, we had 3-4 choices among each Entrees (Starters), Les Plats gamis (Dishes), and Desserts. Below were our selection ... with a basket of baguette to accompany with meal !!!

A 11 Euros Course consisted of : Filet de Hareng pomme a Chuile (Herring Potato Green Salad), Truite grille au barbecue (Grilled Trout served with baked potato and cheese -- the whole fresh body of trout !!! look at the pinky colour of it ...), Glace au chocolat (Chocolate Ice-cream)

A 14 Euros Course consisted of : Soupe a l'oignon (Onion Soup - big bowl full with thick soup & cheese), Poulet basquaise (Basquaise Chicken -- Grilled chicken with bell peppers & tomato), Poire au vin (Wined Pear -- Fresh pear that was soaked in red wine; Umm ... full of wine but less alcohol ... my favourite fruit desserts !!!)

It's a must that we need to try Typical French Onion Soup in Paris -- it can easily find in any brasseries or restaurant. The French Onion Soup was first created by King Louis XV of France. It was when late one night when he wanted a snack, he could only find onions, butter and champagne in the kitchen at his hunting lodge. Then, the cooking happened; after a bit of chopping he mixed them all together ...

Market of Paris -- Rue Mouffetard

2009-04-16T14:01:00.013+07:00

When I travel abroad, one thing that I won't miss is to go to the market of each place. After I have read one book 'Markets of Paris' by Dixon and Ruthanne Long, I have planned for a trip to Paris Market.

Here's the one that we went to 'Rue Mouffetard' by metro which got off at station 'Censier Daubenton' -- as they said in the book that "some people say they're not really in Paris until they're back in Rue Mouffetard, the cobblestone surface, the gentle turns as the street weaves down the hill behind the Pantheon, and the narrowness of the street combine to give Mouffetard its somewhat medieval aspect. No structure is much over six or seven stories high. There's been an effort to clean, paint, and repair, but many buildings still have the peeling facades that give the place its venerable appearance" -- even though it's sometimes overwhelmed by tourists (like us) ...

This place was full with fresh produced from farm, fishmonkers, bakeries, patisseries, Italian grocery (that sells fresh made pasta), small restaurants, wine shops (with taster stand outside), coffee store that you can order to drink outside, asian grocery (that sell even sushi, spring rolls, and other asian salads) together with small plants & flower shop.

Rue Mouffetard
Market Street
From Rue Thouin to Rue Edouard Quenu and Rue Censier Arr.
Open : Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 6 pm / Sunday Morning

Aux Desirs de Manon - one of famous Parisian patiserie

2009-04-16T13:16:00.015+07:00

From Wikipedia : A pâtisserie is a French bakery that specializes in pastries and sweets. In France, it is an official title that only bakeries that employ a maître pâtissier (master pastry chef) may use. The pâtissier is an artist who wants his or her creations to be as individual as they are, which is the reason for so many variations in French pastry shops and in pâtisserie recipes. Often found in partnership with a boulangerie (A baker bakes and sells bread), pâtisseries are a common sight in towns and villages in France.

Therefore, one of my mission was to explore on patisserie in Paris. This was a shop named 'Desirs de Mamon' -- This was a good example of a mix patissier & boulangerie together in one shop since people packing for buying baguiette for dinner (even it was raining so hard that day) !!!

In France, baguette always be purchased just before meal (such as dinner or breakfast), and they never use it on the second day [unless you don't mind really stale hard bread which is as hard as a brick]. They're cheap enough to simply buy a fresh one whenever you need them since the bakeries [boulangeries] are everywhere.

Here there was also a lot of tasty sweet pastries ... but I selected 'Tarte Tatin' which was an upside-down apple tart in which the apples are caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked ... Too bad, picture could not express the taste of it since it was easily melted in my mouth and the flvour of it was full of apple & brandy !!!

Then we also had 'croissant au beurre' which was butter croissant. I have to say 'nothing compares to croissants made in France' ... I have read one book mentioned that 'The French butter and flour is the secret for making croissant' and now I definitely agree to this statement ... The crosissant (not only from this store) was crunchy on the outside, but inside was not so soft and light but filled with air. The taste was so full of great butter aroma (but not as queasy buttery feeling as I have ever tasted before) ...

Aux Desirs de Manon, Paris
129 Rue St Antoine, 75004 Paris
Tel : 01 42 72 32 91
Metro : St Paul

At Eiffel Tower - Snack Stalls

2009-04-15T22:18:00.017+07:00

I bet when mention about France, most will think of Eiffel Tower ... Yes, that's why we went for Tour Eiifel (or in English Eiffel Tower).

Eiffel Tower was designed by the engineer names Gustave Eiffel under the complex pattern of pig-iron girders. It was meant to be a temporary addition to the Paris skyline ... and now it's the symbol of Paris !!! Night time for Eiifel Tower was another perspective since the lighting created different mood ...

Of course, we went there at nighttime ... after a long walk and bought some souvenir for friends, we noticed that someone handled French fries (Mmmm ... fries made by French ?!?!) and / or Hot Dogs ...

That's the reason we went to the Fun Area (across the street) -- It's where there was a Marry-Go-Round and Stalls selling snack ...

Then, we bought Hot Dog (my favourite snack of all) ... It was in a baguette (as basic french bread) which a man need to plug it on top of the shape silver thing to make a hold ... Then squeeze the mayonnaise & ketchup in and plug in the sausage !!! I have to say that it was huge !!!

I have to say that it was yummy even the ketchup was a little bit too sour. But I like the baguatte ... not too hard and not messy when eating. The way they made hole to put the sausage in was clever. I believe that it must be standard way throughout Europe since when I went to Vienna, Austria last 2 years, they also use the same way ... hole on 1 side but not throughout to the other end !!!

Then next to the hot dog stall, I saw an soft ice-cream which said "New Safe Ice-cream Heat Treatment" ... no harm to try what's like ... Actually I realized that it's for hygienic reason since the machine was operated with heat treatment to kill all germs (Stupid of me that I forgot about this -- after many years out from marketing in this category)

French Crepe - City Crepes Cafe

2009-04-15T21:02:00.016+07:00

Another easy meal in Paris (or France) is having a crepe. Crepes in France are both with a sweet or savoury filling. You can eat them as you walk along the streets or enjoy them in a cafe or restaurant.

Crêpes originate from Brittany, a region in France's northwest, and are now enjoyed throughout France. Old rumours say that crêpes were started in this region because it was extremely difficult to grow enough wheat to make bread due to the poor quality of the land.

Here is a street walk crepe stall (when we went to the Montmartre Hill -- a bit tourist trap type of stall but the taste was also good ... It's a kind of walking-to-eat snack in the paper handling packaging ... inside was filled with 'Bonne Maman' -- translated as 'Good Mother' brand, a local French jam like our Thailand Best Foods. Huh, but when we buy in Thailand, it was so expensive ?!?!

Now, comparing with crepes that we also had in cafe called 'City Crepes Cafe' in St. Germain des Pres ... It's a French own cafe where selling only crepes (but decoration especially the pictures were all American) ... City Crepe lead to all dishes name after the main city in the world !!!

In France, there are main 2 types of crepes which are what we ordered

Crepes Salees (or Savoury Crepe) Commonly known as a galette, normally are made with buckwheat flour with no sweetened taste. It can be filled with cheese, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, ham or a variety of meats.

But our order were spinach, mushrooms, and cheese ... It may look plain but the more we ate, the more intense taste we had ... crispy outside but soft melted cheese and other filling inside !!!

Crepes Sucrees (Sweet Crepes) : are made with wheat flour and lightly sweetened. This type of Crêpes always with a fruit syrup filling, or fresh fruit inside with a sprinkle of sugar or cream or ice-cream. What we had was Apple with Vanilla Ice-cream.

Yes, the texture of crepes itself was different from the first one (softer and more sweet). Inside was baked apple -- big piece of apple which passed well baked process ... very tasty !!!

City Crepe Cafe
73, rue de seine, 75006 Paris
Tel : 01.46.33.0.18

Le Mistral Cafe & Brasserie on Place de Chatelet

2009-04-15T18:24:00.013+07:00

As they said that one of the most enjoyable aspects of eating in Paris is the diversity of places to eat. Cafe is one thing that you can't miss in Paris since it open early in the morning serving drinks and food all day long.

First cafe we selected was 'Le Mistral'. This was the popular place (Bar, Brasserie, and Salon de The -- 3 in 1 place) where we could enjoy a short menu of salads, sandwiches, and eggs menu type including drinks.

One typical French food that must had was 'Croque Monsieur' which is basically a ham and Gruyere cheese toasted sandwich. But I ordered 'Croque Madame' which is a simply of adding a fried egg to the top of any Croque Monsieur. It was huge and so tasty !!!

Pamentier Omelette was the second dish to be ordered -- it's a simple potatoes omlette but charming with the taste ... Egg was still partly liquid even outside was dry & crispy while potato was so naturally sweet.

If you notice, salad was served as the accompany with all dishes -- It's just a green crispy salad with vinegar, olive oil, and a dash of grainy mustard. But Salad is a must for French Dietary !!!

Le Mistral Cafe-Brasserie
2, Place du Chatelet, 75004 Paris
Telephone : 01 42 78 13 99

Paul - a taste of 120 years old bakery

2009-04-15T17:51:00.012+07:00

The first thing we had as soon as we reached Paris (actually it's a transit to Belgium via train at Gare du Nord Train Station) was at Paul Bakery Shop.

PAUL was founded in 1889, now has a network of 360 top quality bakeries and pastry-makers throughout France, offering a selection of country-style and fancy bread, viennoiserie (croissants, etc.) pastries, cakes and desserts, snacks and sandwiches (made to order) to more than 5 million customers every month.

A small things we had for those early morning was a cup of coffee, a cup of hot chocolate, Pain au Chocolat (chocolate-filled pastry - croissant), and Palmier (puff pastry in palm shape or buterfly shape coated with sugar)

I have to say that the crusty and pure butter flavour plus a classic / traditional way of baking was so great ... such a good experience in life !!!!

Anyway, you can find Paul anyway in key area of France ... seating inside and outside are available

More about PAUL at : http://www.paul.fr/index.php

Belgium Breakfast at Hotel

2009-04-15T01:37:00.012+07:00

At where we stayed in Brussels, the breakfast was prepared for us every morning ... It's a hotel but the owner tried to make it to be called or always called it as home since he made the service as 'Bed & Breakfast' (even though it received Michelin Stars in year 2007) !!!

Here are what they prepared for us (the owner himself) every morning ... very homey feeling indeed ... No wonder why he called it as Chambres d'hotes rather than hotel ...

A Basket of bread & waffle, a pot of coffee (or tea), a bowl of jam & spreads, a plate of cheese & salami, a cup of yoghurt, and also a jar of orange juice -- all in very Belgian Way of Breakfast

This place is called Downtown-BXL (Rue de Marche Au Charbon 118-120, 1000 Brussels) -- only 4-6 rooms capacity. So reservation needed since it's always been booked at Tel : +34.928.77.22.27 or researvation@downtownbxl.com. Location is in the centre of town (all in walking distance plus metro at the front) -- with big size of room which with design in theme (for our room, it was Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe) !!!

Another thing that it was made to be like home was that all furniture, kitchen utensil, dining set, toilet accessories, and so on are from IKEA brand (all of them I proved them all).

Food for eyes at Museum of Comic Strip Art

2009-04-15T01:06:00.012+07:00

Belgium has many world-famous comic strip artists ... Along the street, you can find comic strip decorated on Building walls in Brussels (approximately 38 pieces). In addition, there is also one Museum of Comic Strip Arts (Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinee) on rue des Sables

If you know famous Tintin (by Herge) or The Smurfs, you must come to this museum for the next visit. There is a permanent exhibitions from a lot of artists including how to make, examples of initial ideas, pencil sketches, till final publication.

Besides the comic strips, the building of the museum was also beautiful since it was designed as Belgian Art-Nouveau style (with a use of curves on structural iron pillars) by Victor Horta.

I was so lucky since it was also the period of special exhibition '20 years of Manga in Europe' during 10 March - 7 June 2009 -- it's all about Japanese Cartoons (Manga) & Characters in Europe !!!

Besides foods, cartoon (especially Japanese Manga) is one of my favourite !!!

Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinee (Museum of Comic Strip Art)
20 rue de Sabels, 1000 Brussels
Tel : 219 1980
Open : Tue-Sun (10 am-6pm) -- Closed on Monday !!!
More information : www.brusselscomics.com

Grab & Go with Panos

2009-04-14T23:57:00.003+07:00

We did not go for foods in restaurants or cafes only in Belguim ... Sometimes, we needed to grab and go before we missed the train. One shop that we dropped in was 'Panos'.

Panos was a kind of fast food chain selling hot pastry, fresh sandwiches, hot sandwiches, pizza, cookies, and so on ... It helped me while I was waiting for train at Gare du Midi Zuidstation. It's a kind of express food (or budget food I can say so) since we could get it in very reasonable price, large portions ...

This was fresh chicken salad in Baguette ... It was freshly made since customers are able to select the filling to fit with each type of bread. After finishing preparing, it was packed in plastic sheet and put in paper back ...

This was also chicken BBQ in Panini Bread Type --- This one was the hot one since it was grilled immediately after you ordered ... a little waiting worth to get for hot bread ... Hot panini was laid on paper tray and put into paper bag -- See the big chunk of chicken ??? It's was great even it was a little too spicy for me !!!

Chinese Meal for a break in Brussels - Chao Chow City

2009-04-13T05:45:00.017+07:00

After strong intention to taste key Brussels signature dishes (and food), we felt to have a break by having something lighter version meal from Eastern side of the world. I meant something with garlic - no cream or no cheese ...

Just walked out from and not far from our Hotel on Rue du Marche Au Charbon, we found this restaurant 'Chao Chow City' ... from outside, it was a bit dark and dull from outside except having yellow & red light box hanging but lots of people walked in and out. They were not only local Belgium but also Asian ones -- so there should have something good, then we went in.

Inside, it was more than I thought since immediately next to the entrance door, there was a portion separated clearly (walk way in the middle) as right-hand was kitchen preparing noodles and other BBQ thing while left-hand was an area for quick eating (one plate or one bowl dish). If walking deeper, it was an area as Chinese Restaurant could be !!! Great utilization indeed ...

Of course, we sat in left-hand area where there were a lot of small table (in a little dim light environment). On the table, there was bottles of salt, pepper, soy sauce, venigar ready. Chinese Food here would be eaten with chopsticks, fork, and knife ...

The food we ordered was 'Yang-Chow Fried Rice' a mixed of egg fried rice with chinese sausages, BBQ pork, shrimp, and cabbage. Together with this dish, we had Shrimp Wanton Soup and Stir-Fried Vegetable (which came up as beansprout mixed with carrot and mushroom) ... The wanton soup was made with strong vegetable soup rather than pork bone ...

The overall taste was good -- it was more intense than the look. In addition, I did not feel the MSG in (or if it had, it would be in little amount) since my throat was not dry out at all ... Happy !!!

Chaochow City
Restaurant Typiquement Chinois
(250 persons)

Boulevard Anspachlaan89,B-1000 Brussels
Tel : (+32) 2-512.37.56

Coffee Company - Modern Cafe of Belgium

2009-04-13T04:18:00.012+07:00

Besides the normal cafe that we can find along the street of Belgium, there is also a modern style - like fast & franchise chain cafe called 'Coffee Company'.

Imagine the famous Starbucks shop of USA chain combined with Pret-a-Manger shop of UK since there was a counter for ordering coffee/tea, big fridge with sandwiches, 2 hot bowls of soup, merchandising selling coffee related, shelf selling tea & coffee, plus free wi-fi (so a lot of people sat with laptop on)

What I like was the cup (space for staff to write on -- type of coffee or tea but has one space for name on) and also tissue paper since a lot of printing on 1st folding with coffee company brand while 2nd folding with reminding of lunch catering, website, shop location.

Coffee Company now has only 3 branches in Brussels -- New branch is coming up soon ...

Gaufres or Belgian Waffles

2009-04-12T23:58:00.014+07:00

Gaufres (waffles) are another great sweet treat in Belgium ... Gaufres are sold at specialist shops and street stalls. Therefore, it is normally nationwide in Belgium.

From what we ordered, Gaufres was made freshly (or at least few minutes earlier but still hot) for us. It could be topped with knobs of butter and a spinkling of sugar including spoonfuls of jam, fruit, and fresh cream. However, there is also a pre-cooked and individual packed version which we had for breakfast.

The taste was excellent since it was crispy outside but inside was tender (a bit with elasticity) ... which was totally different from what we had earlier in Thailand (normally we found it dry out from inside to outside).

In addition, we found that there were two type of waffles here in Belgium as the rectangular (which was light texture) vs. round one (which was thicker and heavier).

A market at The Markt , Bruges

2009-04-12T23:02:00.013+07:00

Bruges, Belgium is medieval town which has streets and canels together with buildings for tourists to enjoy. In the centre of Bruges, there are full of major attractions such as town halls, Museums, and The Markt.

The Markt is 13th century market square located in the mid of Bruges -- it has Medieval gabled housed at the rim, while every Saturday there is a market holding !!!

The market covers with a van selling fresh grocery (meats & vegetable), plants, flowers, and cooked foods & snack. There were some shops that tempted us to buy such as : waffle stall espeically roasted chicken ... There were Big Vans with Big Ovens -- grilling in front of us including Big Glass tray -- showing finished / grilled big size of chicken and big size of chicken tight !!!

Eating Roasted Chicken with hands outdoor was fun !!! Look at the brownish of chicken skin (at the right hand picture) ... Nothing was fun as this ... It was big, was hot, was tasty, was tender (even bare hand can tear the bone off), and was salty !!!

Let's say ... no more lunch for me that day since my stomach was full with this chicken piece till dinner time !!!

LoLo the Chicken Conqueror ...

Belgium Cafe / Bar

2009-04-12T22:10:00.015+07:00

In Belgium, we easily found cafe & bar in every street (and almost corner of the street). When the weather is good (sunny - no sun), we also found that most of people sat outside (grilling themselves with sun) with a cup of coffee, a pot of tea, or a glass of Belgian Beer. Remember ... Belgium makies more beers, in a greater mix of styles and flavours, than any other country in the world.

Most cafes serve selection of alcoholic drinks as well as soft drinks, while most bars offer coffee in addition to alcohol together with the light snack or meals (petite restauration).

Here is one of the look that we went for in Bruges ... Bruges is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Belgium -- being one of UNESCO Heritage City. It's north of Brussels (around 45 minutes by train from Brussels). It located in the north of Brussels with the River Dijver (where most of tourist like to take a cruise on -- even it rain).

Yes, for us, we went for tea & coffee instead during raining. This is because we walked along the way It was one theon Wollestraat to Dijver which was near the canel -- The shop name was 'La Paaisone Cafe' -- From outside it looked woody green and classic while inside was in modern look managed by one young guy ... a coffee was served in tray same as tea ... as Belgium Tradition, chocolate must be accompanied with !!! One thing I noticed was that in Belgium Cafe, hot milk was not served with hot coffee or hot tea -- most milk or cream was in room temperature (which was cool or was stored in fridge before) ...

At this cafe, there was special since the owner also gave us biscuits together with one small glass of yellow dessert pudding ... after we tasted it, it contained with strong alcohol ... but it was so yummy !!!

Aux Armes De Bruxelles in Rue des Bouchers "the belly of Brussels"

2009-04-12T14:33:00.019+07:00

If you are one of the tourists, definitely that you would come to The Grand Place (which is the heart of Brussels). It is a cobblestone square with 17th century architecture and Flemish Renaissance buildings. Not far from Grand Place, there is one place called 'Rue des Bouchers' -- home to the butchers' trade. It is the best known as 'the Belly of Brussels" since there are lots of cafes and restaurants including seafood displays on huge pile of ice.

This place has a big reputation as the tourist trap since most of the waiter will try to stop and pull tourists into the restaurant. Along the way of walking, there are also seat & table for tourists at the front of each restaurant. But be careful that offer from some of them that mentioned in the first place with special price would not deliver since it will turn out as an excuse of 'run out' -- so end up with expensive price from tourist.

However, there is one restaurant. that there is no pulling & even seating outside. The name is 'Aux Armes de Bruxelles' in the mid of Rue des Bouchers -- This is an old restaurant with basic honest food offered. It might be crowded but worth to wait. Remember the name and logo of soldier (or saint) killing dragon ...

The atmosphere and the service is in old style -- the one who take care your table will be that person till end of your meal. This restaurant is very honest since they showed us English Menu together with Belgium / French Menu as comparison / as reference.

Starting with bread again before the dish ordered to be delivered -- two round bread buns with butter.

Then, the 1st dish was served -- 'Soupe de Poissons' 9.50Euro -- a fish soup serving with croutons, rouille, and cheese). Imagine the normal fish soup (if anyone know it), then think of the fish soup that has a thick texture ... because this is a real fish soup which I could identify the blended of fish in. While the croutons were big (I would say crispy toast bread) which we supposed to spread with garlic butter. By the way, cheese powder was set to put in the soup (if needed to make it more tasty and cheesy).

The 2nd Dish was 'Demi Chicon Jambon' 11.00Euro -- another Hot Entree which was Belgian Endives with ham (chicory). I like endives but it hardly find in Thailand. Here in Belgium, Endive could be said as National Vegetable. When it was served, I almost fainted since it was covered with cheese !!! Noted that I am not a kind who keen on cheese much ... However, it was an endive rolled with ham baked (swimming) in white creamy liquid and cheese. I have to say that the white creamy thing was so great !!!

Main dish was the 3rd coming ... 'Sole Meuniere' 34.50Euro -- This was a grilled sole (fish) with lemon butter ... with this price you could not find in Thailand ... This was so fresh and cheaper (compared also with more freshness and bigger size). It was served with boiled potato, fresh watercress, and half lemon !!!

Aux Armes De Bruxelles
Rue Des bouchers 13 - 1000 Bruxelles
Tel : 02-511-55-50
Open : 7 Days Non-Stop !!!

Wittamer - luxury and taste in the heart of Brussels

2009-04-12T03:20:00.012+07:00

Talking about Wittamer, it is one of Belgium famous patisseries -- Patisseries means shop that sells bread, bread rolls, fruit tarts, cakes, and / or biscuits. The original founder, Henri Wittamer, established his shop at the Grand Sablon in 1910 which is till now Wittamer later generation still take care their own family business.

The cafe was started in 1950 when Yvonne WITTAMER came up with the idea of setting up tea rooms at the back of the shops located at 12-13 Place du Grand Sablon. The place (as seen in pictures) is still the original place -- so around 100 years already. However, what I am amazed for this Wittamer in terms of Wittamer has branches in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka but only 1 in Brussels !!!

After we have seen Wittamer Cafe in Japan, it should be harm if we experienced the original one in Brussels. Here what we experienced with Wittamer Cafe ... Do as they do which was seat on the sun (lucky that Brussels that day got strong sun !!!) and ordered hot chocolate and coffee ...

The Hot chocolate was so thick -- it was served together with whip cream in separate small bowl. Therefore, customers would fill in at the amount level as they like ... but from what I noticed, most of customers still left some whip cream in small bowl.

The coffee also served with whip cream since I ordered the Vienna Coffee ... it was espresso shot with milk foam topped with a little of whip cream.

Wittamer Cafe
Place du Grand Sablon 6
1000 Brussels
+32 2 546 11 11

Lola - a Classic French Cuisine in Brussels

2009-04-12T02:33:00.012+07:00

I have searched for places to eat in Brussels before my travel. What I found in many websites, books, and blogs that 'Lola' was one of the place that has been frequently recommended. Then, we decided to be there to proof and be able to explain to others why ...

'Lola' is situated on Place de Grand Sablon which is the square (sablon) surrounded by elegant and wealthy town houses with Art Nouveau antiques dealer including Chic, Fashionable, Trendy restaurants & bars.

As soon as we reached there, we realized suddenly that it was such as popular place since a lots of local (working ones) had lunch -- not yet counting tourists who came because of website recommendation like me. Of course, queue was seen -- but if you don't mind sitting at counter like us, we were immediately invited at counter ... Total seating was around 30 in the long & narrow space -- interior was in simple and modern.

About food, not only classic French cuisine but there was also Italian Dishes (or a mix of Italian in) as shown in the menu. Our order were 'Seabass Steamed with Almond milk with risotto of wide mushrooms' -- with a fresh supply from North Sea plus chef's gift of creating brought the fish alive ... even wild mushrooms, it was so natural !!!

Another dish was 'Fettuccine with scampi, tomato sauce, and basil' -- it might sound simple and looked simple at first glance. However, I was so happy that I ordered this since scampi (small shrimps) were a lot in quantity and a lot of quality -- I mean fresh ... The tomato sauce was not ordinary since it's a kind of fresh tomato blended and a kind of tomato soup (please see below for the picture) ... The more I ate, The taste were stronger ...

I forgot to mention that before the dishes would be delivered, we were served with Pistacio Nuts followed by breads (great too) & butter to accompany with your dishes.

Lola Brasserie-Restaurant
Place du Grand Sablon 33
1000 Bruxelles
Tel : 02-514 2460
Website : www.restolola.be

In't Spinnekopke - a Flemish Specialities in Brussels

2009-04-11T15:50:00.014+07:00

In't Spinnekopke Restaurant is one of the popular venue that offering a wide selection of local beers and local food in a kind of tavern atmosphere. The name In't Spinnekopke means ' in the spider's web'. By this word, you can notice easily from the front of the restaurant with the visual of spider on the web over the entrance.

Inside decoration covers with old beer posters on the wall and wooden benches & chairs with red and white table clothes. The atmosphere was a bit dark (as the tavern could be) but it delivered an easy and relax to all customers. Moreover, the price is reasonable.

About the food, since it's the place where you can find Flemish Specities, I continue my food exploring on 'Waterzooi Devolalli' which was the classic stew from Ghent consists of fish or chicken and vegetable (I found that it's carrot, onion, spring onion, cabbage) poached in a creamy broth. To me this was similar to Japanese White Stew but a little of milky and creamy. Only word I can say "yum yum -- I like it -- it's so tender and blended well with a white sauce (not creamy at all).

Another dish was 'Gerrenoet Krokette' which was deep-fried croquettes, fill with shrimp. Umm, inside was juicy and creamy but outside was crispy with small flake of breadcrumb !!!

We finished our meal with chocolate mousse (which was chocolate mousse on-top of vanilla ice-cream and also top with big whip cream !!!) and coffee (look below at how cute they served us).

In't Spinnekopke Restaurant
1, Place Du Jardin Aux Fleurs - 1000 Bruxelles
Bloemenhofplein 1 - 1000 Brussel
Tel : 02-551 86 95
Internet : www.spinnekopke.be

Belgium Strawberry (with Chocolate) at Godiva

2009-04-10T04:22:00.013+07:00

If you read my blogs previously when I travel abroad, I normally find strawberry and find the way they do with strawberry locally. For reference check out previous blogs at strawberry of other countries.

Again, this is the time for Belgium's Strawberry ... Since Belgium is well-known about their chocolate so it's an strawberry coated with chocolate ... However, I tried it at Godiva Chocolate Shop ...

The process was shown at the front of the shop ... to get attention, of course. Big Strawberry was selected and dried with clothes then dipped in Godiva Chocolate ...

I was amazed again with the size of strawberry ... including how dedicated the Godiva had since there were also a Godiva Logo at the bottom of strawberry !!! I won't mention about Godiva Chocolate taste ... everyone must be aware of the quality ...

How about the strawberry itself ... Ummm, very juicy indeed ... the aroma was not as strong as Japanese. Therefore, for me, Japanese Strawberry is the best !!!

If you want to know why I love Japanese Strawberry click : Japanese Strawberry or Japanese Strawberry Daifuku
However, I would like to compare with US Strawberry too, so click : American Strawberry

Le Pain Quotidien - Breakfast place in Belguim

2009-04-09T23:41:00.014+07:00

Breakfast is a meal most often eaten in the morning, of course, no matter how late you wake up. Actually, this Breakfast word came about because it means breaking the fast after one has not eaten since the night before.

What about breakfast in Belgium? It normally consists of breads, toasted or untoasted, with several marmalades, jams, and nut spreads, such as Nutella or just with a bar of chocolate. Other common toppings include sliced meats and cheeses. Pastries and croissants may be served on. Belgians often enjoy coffee, tea, hot chocolate, water, or fresh juice with breakfast too.

Now, look at what we had for breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien Shop ... Actually, this shop is a franchise type of patisseries under the company name of Village du Pain. Le Pain Quotidien also has stores in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Turkey, USA (New York, California and DC), Australia, Canada, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Bahrain.

But for me, since I saw this shop first time in Antwerp, this is a kind of my dream shop ... I still want to own this kind of shop where customers can eat and drink with no rush. Owner no need to prepare anything much since most of food were pre-made, just greeting and delivering foods to customers only.

Same as Le Pain Quitidien, there was only 2 waitresses for getting order, delivering food, getting money. In addition, they knew where was the territory between shop staff vs. customers since customers would easily sat and read newspaper with no disturbing. Look at the overall shop design (easy wooden style which look comfort and calm) while the way they serve including the utensil (plain but with design which also make easy and comfort feeling). I just wonder how comes Belgian people don't need to rush for working ?!?!

Bread (sliced sour dough bread and croissants) were served in basket which was linened with grey clothes -- no plate since customers were served with marble board and knife. Coffee or Tea were served in a cup (no ear, then it's more like a bowl). Same as when ordering tea, it was served with no ear cup (in the pictures below are one cup over the other since we ordered mint green tea -- green tea bag was in small cup while fresh mint tea was in the pot). All jams and spreads were left on table -- so envy weather & temperature in Belgium since in Thailand we can't leave them like this ...

Paul Preud' Hoome - Gastonomic Dining Experience

2009-04-09T01:06:00.018+07:00

This is a place that able to give me a memorable dining experience in Antwerp named ‘P. Preud’Hoome’. The name of P. Preud came from Paul Preud -- He was a guy who own this dining place (elegance one and famous one) -- now is the 3rd generation already ... This place was recommended and received Michelin Stars which could be a great proven in Europe Quality -- so it's one of the finest restaurants in Antwerp.

This place was not only because the grand surroundings of beautiful Art Nouveau Building outside (opposite Ethnografish Museum) or the elegance the setting inside was with Art Nouveau or Big Plate on table with a visual of previous owner but also the food itself since … it was the place where I experienced traditonal flemish dishes of Belgium from white asparagus and eel !!!

Dish made from white asparagus named ‘Asparagus in the Flimish Way’. In Belgium, white asparagus is an early summer specialty and finest produce of this country. The way white asparagus usually served is with crushed boiled-eggs and lemon sauce. Look at how big it was ... Too bad, I could not put the taste on here since it was so sweet (natural sweet) !!!

The amazing of Belgium's white asparagus did not stop me at only this starter since I was also interested in White Asparagus Soup ... It was served with chopped boiled egg and chopped parsley ... it should be the way to eat white asparagus here that it goes well with white asparagus.

We could call both dishes as ‘comfort’ food … But the next one was rather ‘excited or challenge’ food … I recommend you that this dish is well worth seeking out for …

It was an uniquely Belgian fish dish called 'anguilles au vert (paling in’t groen)' which is large chunks of eel, cooked with chervil sauce with 14 herbs -- as it said, it was mass of finely chopped fresh herbs so greeny !!! It was served with Frites (French Fries)

It might look like pork spare rib but it's actually eel ... It was a fresh eel cooked and served to us with bone in (no skin) ... if you expect that it would be like Japanese Eel, you can change your mind since you can taste the real taste of eel -- don't panic, eel is one type of fish !!! Besides, this was covered with a lot of green herb ... the waiter said to me that it consists of a lot of herb that were grown locally which he could not name them all.

P. Preud’Hoome
Suikerrui 28, 2000, Antwerp, Belguim
Tel : 03-233-4200

De Lantaden Coffee House in Antwerp

2009-04-09T00:37:00.013+07:00

We also went for hot tea & coffee at one small shop on Haarstraat, Antwerp after a long walk around the centre of town. It was a small tea room which was established since 1988.

The reason we stopped by was that the cutey seen from outside together with a new modern setting inside (black chromium mixed with oak wooden furniture). In addition, the menu was interesting ...

'Theescorten - Munt per pote' which was a Fresh Mint Tea ... Don't you feel what it should be served ?!?!? As I could guess, it was a bunch of mint leaves inside a white tea pot pouring with hot water. Yes, when pouring out, the yellow water came out ... so refreshing. It was served with brown sugar and white sugar (together with a piece of chocolate -- Belgium Chocolate of course).

If you grow mint at home, you can try it yourself ... I sometimes make it at home but mixed with green tea (leaf or powder) and honey ...

Another interesting thing was the special coffee menu since there was one menu called 'Antwerpse Koffie' ... Don't you want to know what's the Antwerp Coffee ?!?! Yes, it the coffee mixed with liquor call 'Elixir d’Anvers'. It is an traditional Antwerp yellow liquor based on plants. It’s produced in Antwerp only for more than 100 years with a secret recipe. Many bars and cafes make some drinks with this liquor.

With this order, I still got the chocolate accompanied with but no sugar since at the bottom of cup consists of a lot of chocolate bits already !!!

Here is the picture of Elixir d' Anvers which I also took from the liquor shop in Antwerp ... By the look, it looked secret and grand already !!!

De Lantaren
Haarstraat 14 - 16
2000 Antwerp
Tel : 03-233 83 65

Verona Ristorante - Italian Speciality

2009-04-08T04:07:00.016+07:00

Antwerp is a major port and this reflected in the very exotic range of tastes from all over the world. Same as the food, you can simply find Chinese, Indian, Thai, Japanese, Cambodian, Russian, Turkish, Greek, and of course from nearer such as Spanish and Italian.

Therefore, we decided to taste Italian Food one evening -- After walking around, we found that at the back of Groen Plaats on Oude Koornmarkt Street, there were a lot of Italian Restaurants (including other nationality). However, there was one restaurant name 'Verona' that catch our eyes -- not only it's near Belgian Heritage Shop (Famous Tin Tin character shop) but also a lot of local customers seating outside (since before dark). The clear glass with black frame at the front was able to show people outside how pack the restaurant inside was also. The size of 'Verona' was big as seen from outside, 2 floors with a big stair at the front of door. Seating was set in casual wooden material.

Now, about food, it did not destroy our intention to taste Italian Food since it's a real Italian taste -- starting from chef and waiters, they are from Italy. Therefore, if you close your eye and listen all of them talk, you would think that you are in Italy !!!

Proven by the pictures, Tomato Soup (6.10 Euro) ... a very big hot creamy tomato soup in a big bowl. When I mentioned real tomato soup, I mean real since the texture of soup still has the fibre of tomato shown (see below right picture)

Next we also ordered Pasta one was Spaghetti Serina (8.80 Euro) which consisted of artichoke, mushroom, and garlic. As the colour shown, it was mixed with tomato base again but with a little aroma of garlic. This made the taste was not boring. The other pasta dish was Tagtallini alapesto (9.10 Euro) which was pesto sauce. This was not a normal pesto which made from only normal basil ... it should be special recipe since I can taste more than Italian Basil and Pine nuts. Look at the colour since it's not greenish !!!

Ristorante Verona
Italiaanse Specialiteiten
Oude Koornmarkt 28a
2000 Antwerpen
Tel : 03-226-86-22

Belgium's Fries -- Fritkot Max

2009-04-08T02:37:00.011+07:00

This is one of Belgium’s National Dish called ‘frites or frieten’. It is actually french fries, hand-cut and double fried an even crispiness. There are all over town serving in café, taverns, or street stalls. The way to serve is enormous portions of french fries with mayonnaise or other sauces for customers to select.

The outlet that I had Belgian Frites was at ‘Fritkot Max’ which was established since 1842 on Groen Plaats (or Green Squares) of Antwerp. This type of place is called ‘fritkotten’ in Belgium since it sells French fries and other fried food for a reasonable price. However, things that get my attention at ‘Fritkot Max’ was long queue from shop till outside. Even there was not enough place to sit , people still stood eating outside. In addition, I have heard that Belgian ‘frites’ are probably the best in the world due its utmost care preparation …

Inside the shop, it was just only a counter where inside consisted of big fryer and a big pile of cut potato. All of these was operated by one man who took care of getting order, frying, and cashiering !!!

I have to admit that it was so yummy since it had typical crispiness and flavour … and it was such a big portion (even we ordered small size as seen in the picture). Anyway, we had it all … and the mayonnaise also had a great taste !!!

De Bourla Cafe & Dining at Antwerp

2009-04-08T02:12:00.014+07:00

This is a Professional Establishment Eating Place behind the Bourla theatre in Antwerp named De Bourla. It was established for long since the setting inside was so classic with yellow light chandelier, oak wooden chair & table, brown leather sofa, and so on. However, since this is a kind of café or tavern, there was also seats outside facing the sun & fresh air for customers seating outside enjoy Belgian Beer.

It’s the place offer ‘petite restauration – light meals’. However, the word ‘light’ does not apply since it really kept me going from lunchtime well into the evening. Note that menu was written in French but waiters were able to speak English. However, with my a little memory on some French Food words helped me getting something right.

This is the place where I had Tradional Flemish dishes (French-Belgian Cuisine) called ‘Tomato Crevettes’ which was tomato filled with tiny shrimps (crevettes). Here at Bourla, it was called Belgische ‘tomate aux crevettes’ 12.00 Euro. To explain, it the boiled big tomato (with skin off) filled with shrimp & onion in mayonnaise. The big tomato was sat ontop of green salad. What I impressed was the size of tomato (so big and so meaty) … Such a wonder light lunch to enjoy.

Another plate was ‘quiche met geitenkaas en gerodete zalm’ 8.50 Euro. It was a simple quiche for Belgium who experted in baked things. Zalm means salmonm- one of the fish which was catched from North Sea. Belgium is the place for Fish dishes – popular ones are cod, salmon, and sole. This dish was cooked from salmon and butter whisked with cream and eggs then baked in a crisp pastry shell. Same that it was also accompanied with green salad.

As usual (I could say tradition here in Belgium), a basket of bread variety was served with butter. This will help accompanied us well especially on tomato crevettes !!!

De Bourla
Granmarkt 7
2000 Antwerpen
Tel : 03-232.16.32

Open everyday except on Sunday

Meal when traveling with Thalys Speed Train

2009-04-05T16:30:00.010+07:00

After we landed at Paris, our trip continued directly to Antwerp with Thalys (a Hight Speed Train of Europe). This train cover Germany, France, Belgium, and Netherlands.

Our booking was done in Bangkok via Diethelm Travel Thailand -- Recommended to book 1st class since the seat will be booked up in advance. Train take off at Gare Du Nord, Paris which takes 2 hours to Antwerp, Belgium ...

After 5 minutes, the freshener was served started with cleansing wipe which said about wifi on board for FREE !!! Thanks to Thalys -- this is the first real time update on my blog !!!

With the 1st Class level, there's snack served ... actually it's a light snack just a little bit before lunch (according to my schedule we should arrive by 12.30am.

Ham & Chese Sandwiches, Croissants, Madeleine, Fruit tart, Coffee, Tea, and Cold Refreshments ... These were all served by a guy with a cart (which I will call this Thalys Boy) !!!

Starting a trip to Europe in April 2009

2009-04-05T15:28:00.011+07:00

Here is one of my tradition that every April (Hot Season of Thailand -- actually a very hot season) we need to go for a long trip -- again, this is Europe trip (Bangkok to Paris to Antwerp, Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and Paris before back to Bangkok).

Flight to Europe from Suvanabhumi Airport took off by midnight -- it's a kind of free flying since I redempted my frequent flyer score from Thai Airways !!! Now, first meal started -- I'm not crazy but I like eating at airport ... Below was meals that we had after passing the immigration ... Chicken Burger (even it looked pale - but I like it since it's a minced chicken grilled with sesame bun) and Pomorodo Pasta (tomato sauce was a bit spicy since I guess chef put some chilli in).

Since we don't bother much about airway meal especially from Thai Airways !!! We did not pay attention much on 1st serve as they called dinner. Then after 1o hours in flight before landing, they served us breakfast. Here're typical Thai Airways Breakfast -- Omlette & Sausages and Special Meal Seafood which they selected fish, shrimp, scallop with vegetables !!!

Umm I won't say much since we were only looking for good coffee & croissant at Paris only ...

Pacific Coffee Company - a perfect cup in Hong Kong

2009-02-09T11:43:00.016+07:00

I almost forgot to mention about one coffee chain in Hong Kong which is my favourite ... The Pacific Coffee Company was established since 1992 to provide world-class coffee to satisfy Hong Kong, China, and Singapore ...

The Pacific Coffee Brand is recognized as the "Best Coffee in Hong Kong" -- able to win over Starbucks !!! As my Hong Kong Friends mentioned, they do not bother about Starbucks much -- go for Pacific Coffee is better !!! Moreover, the price is also in competitive range ...

In my point of view, I like the coffee taste of The Pacific Coffee Company -- after a little of investigation, I found that they selected only the best Arabica beans from around the world - Africa, Central and South America, Hawaii and Asia.

Further more, in terms of service and generous care to customers, I found that The Pacific Company provided a little more than Starbucks such as :
- Three types of sugar (white, brown, and sweetener)
- a stopper to help coffee not to to fall out from the cup for take away. It was a small plastic use for plugging into the hold of the lid.
- a sleeve for holding hot drinks (in variety of size to fit each paper cup size) -- customers can pick by themselves
- topping for customers to pour on top of coffee (almond, cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla)

To know more about The Pacific Coffee Company visit : http://www.pacificcoffee.com/eng/home.php

To provide a perfect cup, anywhere, anytime ... with total of 67 branches in Hong Kong

Fly back from Hong Kong to Bangkok without eating anything

2009-02-09T11:26:00.007+07:00

This was the first time that I did not have anything to eat on the plane ... But I did not worry much since I still appreciated on my Ramen & Popeyes meal at Hong Kong International Airport ...

Departure from Hong Kong to Bangkok by Cathay Pacific Airlines -- special meal was served with a kind of dimsum & grilled skewers ... I noticed that it's a deep-fried chicken, Chao Zhou Dumpling (stuff with pork, bamboo shot, and dried shrimp), Chicken Skewers in Barbeque sauce, and a kind of fried spring roll.

However, the flight attendant was kind enough to check whether I was okay with the meal since there was no rice included ... Therefore, she changed my main meal to be : Rice with Chicken Curry (a kind of peanut butter curry)

Now, instead of me enjoy the meal, the change of meal made me did not touch anything at all -- except 2 pieces of kiwis, and 1 piece of watermelon and a cup of Japanese Green Tea ...

Stupidity of me ... I hate peanut curry ... Not the flight attendance's fault but only me ... Ha Ha Ha