GOD HAS EYES ... AFTERALL

I am in Lisbon at the end of a cruise with Seabourn to the Canary Islands and Morocco when the news of 689's announcement hit all my social media channels like wildfire.

While the earth shattering decision came at the coat tail of his hospital visit to see his not so well child, which I can identify and truly sympathize with as another always anxious Dad, the idea that 689 can no longer claim "leadership" in our little village brings relief, albeit temporary.

God has eyes .. let us see what else He has installed for us. Hong Kong can sleep better, for now.   

FISHERMAN ONE 漁一

I have, quietly, become an ardent fan of Fisherman One in Causeway Bay. No, it is not a Japanese restaurant, but an honest to goodness classic Cantonese joint that carries all traditions of this unique cuisine to the hilt. Created by 3 partners 7-years ago their success is almost entirely via "word of mouth". I was introduced by a foodie friend and subsequently no less than a dozen of my best pals have been converted. It is close to pure magic.

Most younger folks go for Hot Pot which they are renowned but we oldies are more inclined to their litany of nostalgia 小炒. The pictures shown are 3 of our top favorites : NZ Diamond Clams with glass noodles in broth, tea-smoked local chicken with gizzards, salt-baked line-caught Sea Bream with Yunnan Ham sprinkles. The piece-de-resistance and a must-order is ; clay pot roasted Tiger Prawns with whole black pepper corns, baby leek stalks, whole baby garlic cloves all drown in salted butter. You will never be the same after your first taste of this dish.

FISHERMEN ONE
... ask for 勇哥 Partner & Manager
(852) 2882 8782
3F Bartlock Center 3 Yiu Wah Street ... behind Times Square in CWB
  

FULLKA 富家

When I was in my 30s .. my daughter's age now .. I used to be annoyed when eating out with my father, the walking definition of stubbornness when it comes to trying new things on the food front. "I know what I like and I know where to get them so leave me alone" he used to say.

Fast forward 30 years, in my 60s now, I find myself an almost exact copy of Dad. I keep going back to places I like, ordering the same dishes. You are right, Dad, why change?

The time honored menu of Chef Lee @ Fullka at the Butterfly Hotel is squarely in this category. We just had one of our regular 'Guys Lunch' there today and we ordered; thinly sliced mini abalone cooked in a brass pan over scallion and leek, literally for 90 seconds, one of my all-time favorites. The other was their signature, braised giant grouper in tofu gravy. I must had these at least 100 times, if not more. Here is the math .. 10 visits a year for the past 10 years. Voila!

FULLKA - 李師傅
1F Butterfly Hotel
39 Morrison Hill Road Wanchai
(852) 2834 8378

ROAST PORK BELLY

Ask a home cook for a roast pork belly recipe it is likely you will end up getting a few, and the same goes to roast chicken. At TKT we tried everything from East to West, expecting the ultimate, only to be disappointed as 'they never taste the same' as one expects. We used to poached them first, refrigerate, pin holes all over the skin, different salts .. all too complicated for the cause, that is, a chunk of well cooked juicy belly with a crispy skin, that's all.

Then I watched the Maestro in a 'Short', a 2" presentation between programs and the penny dropped. We have been using this very simple recipe since, with excellent results almost every time.

Essentially : take a good cut, make sure it is dry, rub evenly with olive oil and salt but not too much, put on a trevet in a roasting tray, add a layer of water underneath to pick up the jus for gravy later, solid oven at 160C for 1.5 to 2 hours bottom shelf, watch the last 10-15" to make sure the skin does not burn ... done.

Marco Pierre White Roast Pork Belly!    

BACK TO THE KITCHEN ...

Before I can blink half of 2016 was gone, just like that. We were in Kyoto, in Cuba, in Beijing, in Maine ... I moved from one country to the next but I hardly cooked. I made copious notes from my travels, inspired along the way but never had time to put them on a plate. I hate myself. To correct the dire situation I spent a day back in the kitchen and tried out a few recipe ideas which made me feel 'whole' again. These two are simple, tasty and they work in any home kitchen.      

* Poached Prawn on a bed of Yuzu pickled red onions with Tobiko garnish
* Pan-fried Atlantic Cod Fillet on Prawn Bisque served with an Oyster Beignet

I feel good, I am back!      

ZITHER 古琴

Chiu Chow cuisine has become a bit out of fashion these days as the trend moves to Japanese and Korean street foods. While the big names continue to dominate the scene we do not see that many newcomers ... until Zither came along. It has been a while and this is a much needed breath of fresh air, to reinstate the rightful place of 潮州菜 in our community.

What is good there? Everything! Just order the classics and you will not be disappointed. I guarantee your taste buds will be returned to the rightful culinary origins of Chiu Chow cuisine. We particularly enjoyed the Starter Plate of Mixed Goodies and the Baby Oyster Omelette, as shown. The high point of the dinner was, without question, the Steamed Congo Eel .. "河鰻 or 白鱔 ".. wrapped in lotus leave and served in a broth of white pepper and preserved vegetable, a real tear-jerker, if you know what I mean.

ZITHER
www.zither.com.hk
4F The Phoenix 21-25 Luard Road Wanchai
(852) 2967 9322 ask for Ada Chu      

SILVER ROOM

The Tin Hau and Fortress Hill area has become quite a foodie thoroughfare of late, with creative eateries that cater to the increasingly sophisticated needs of Hong Kong residents who gained first hand food knowledge from their travels. It has also attracted young chefs from overseas whose ambition has nothing to do with 5-star hotels or 3-star Michelin establishments.

Chef Taka-san at the Silver Room of the boutique Tuve Hotel on 天后清風街 is one of them.

The entrance is imposing but discreet, and there is no sign of the hotel either, it reminds me of a secretive Masonic Temple. Seating is about 35 max and the decor minimalist. The menu is classic Italian but 'almost all ingredients are imported from Japan'. Taka-san is a shy young man with nervous energy but his interpretation of rustic Italian cooking is flawless. His pastas are as good if not better than any self proclaimed Italian joints in town. My favorites are their Primi Piatti; Uni, Beef Cheek and Summer Truffles Pastas. One another 'must-try' is the Octopus Salad with Yuzu Dressing, fresh and divine. Sharing and BYO are welcome. On our first visit we ordered every dish on the menu for tasting, Italian family style. For Dolci try the house desserts Semifreddo & Rum Baba. Then comes the real show stopper .. the bill .. it is the walking definition of Best-Value-for-Money in our convoluted food scene today.

Karcia Ng the Manager is very good news, a great front-of-house complement to Taka-san. Try out this place, you hear it from me, and you will thank me for it.              

SILVER ROOM
www.silveroom.hk
GF Tuve - 16 Tsing Fung Street Tin Hau Hong Kong
(852) 3995 8988
Karcia Ng @ 9634 9785 

AMERICA!?

I spent my formative years from 18-25 in New England and in so many ways my host family the Cochranes has instilled in me the "Americanism" which has become one of the stilts of my persona.

From the news we see dirty politics, untrustworthy politicians, crazy people on the street who shoot at will, police violence plus a litany of social issues ad nauseum. The million dollar questions we all ask are from the other side of the world is ... what is happening to America, has she gone mad?

My recent reunion with the family I grew up with yielded a totally different perspective. Obviously the America I remember and treasure is still around. With my siblings I was able to reinstall our faith on family values, decency and what it means to be living. On the farmer's deck at my brother's retirement home we were able to engage in metaphysics, amidst the dribbles of an evening downpour. Life stood still, carrying us back to the 60's and 70's with Dad holding court. We covered the frailties of being human, America on the world stage, the mystery of death and dying, our legacy to the next generation and how we should manage our remaining years without regrets.

Yes, America is alive and well .. these are not her best moments but she will survive and move on to higher grounds. I hope that will come soon.

God Bless America!      

MAINE ... LOBSTER HEAVEN

When in Maine, lobsters are the only game, at least it is for me. My baptism to lobster anything dates back to the Fall of 1968 when, among many sub-cultural exposure I was taught to appreciate a lobster the way it should be. The Down East Maine way, or No Way type of brainwashing that is still prominent in my mind to-date.What is the point of eating anything else when you are in lobster country, where you have access to the best in show? I did exactly that at my recent sojourn which brought back fond memories.  

Without question the freshness of Maine lobsters is unmatched anywhere, with perhaps the exception of northeastern Canada in places like Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Island where I visited as a low budget college student. Lobster dinners along these coastlines were C$1.99 believe it or not and if you are prepared to take a "Cull" that is, perfectly OK lobsters with only one claw it was C$1 .. which included a steamed lobster, a handful of clams, a large corn on the cob and of course, a tub of drawn or clarified butter for dipping. I was also taught to sprinkle a dash of salt in the butter to stimulate flavors. These dinners were served on a paper plate with a stash of napkins, and that was it, none of the fancy footwork we see today. It was religion then and it still is.

I have enough lobsters in my system now I will not touch lobster anything anywhere in Hong Kong, which is a complete waste of time. A so called 波龍 or Boston Lobster sells for HK$160-200 in the wet market .. robbery .. and if you order that in an eatery it will be in the HK$300-400 range. Most do not know how to cook it properly since they have no access to clean sea water and sea weed, not to mention those babies would have lost their will to live, along with their freshness and taste, after 24 hours on a plane. BTW I do not count lobsters from British Columbia or for that matter, crayfish from Australia as the same, they just aren't!

You want lobsters, go to Maine, it is worth the 24-hour flight time.    

BREAKFAST PIZZA

Apparently this is the Saturday morning favorite for many American families .. all the trapping of BF items; eggs, bacon, cheeses, even grilled mushrooms and tomatoes on a piece of dough, baked in a pizza oven. It is novel, at least to me as I have not been State side for almost 4 years, but it is not something that thrills. A traditionalist, my vote still goes to sunny side up runny eggs on toasts or English muffins, with an ample supply of super crispy bacon slices and ideally, black pudding and sausages if we are anywhere remotely close to places where English .. vs American .. is spoken, there you have it.    

SENDING "DAD" ON HIS LAST VOYAGE

I am here in Maine to send the patriarch of  my Host Family whilst at Tufts on his last voyage, someone I address as "Dad". He was my mentor in American during my formative years, age 18-25, and subsequently my beacon and role model since. Our Father & Step Son relationship has spanned 48 years.  
True to form "Dad" planned his own Celebration of Life down to every details which included the release of  his ashes in the charismatic bay that faces his idyllic home on a charming island. He wanted it to be a private family event and Heavens complied by bringing in the fog for ultimate privacy. He wanted to go off from his soul mate, the vessel he so loved, "the 3rd lady in my life" after his wife and daughter .. it was a most moving, solemn and beautiful ceremony.

His last instruction was ... "mark the spot on GPS where you will drop my urn and when it is time for Mom to go please drop her right on top of me" ... tears still stream now as I write. What a fine human being, what a dedicated husband, and what a gentleman. I love you, and I miss you dearly "Dad".         

SOUTHPORT MAINE

There is something about the beauty of Down East Maine scenery that is ever-lasting and this is proof. This is a view I was introduced to in September 1968 and it seems time has stood still 49 years later, the sun rise and sun set are exactly like they were then.

"Sometimes change may not be a good thing" my surrogate father used to say, and here is a case in point. As in many other occasions Dad is right on the money here again.  

REDS EATS

On the way up to Boothbay you will pass the quaint little town of Wiscasset which has remained unchanged since my first visit almost 50 years ago in the Fall of 1968. Right at the front of the cross way there is a legend, one that no one should miss in this part of the State .. it is de rigueur.

REDS EATS is a shrine, a beacon that carries religious significance in the luscious world of street foods Americana. While its menu has become bigger, including Veggie Burgers .. God forbids .. my pilgrimage is always about 2 orders every time I make a stop. First and foremost Fried New England Clams with 2 sauces ie Classic Tartar plus what I would call a Spicy Bloody Mary Dip .. but no one stops there .. you must match the clams with an Open Face Lobster Sandwich, an unabashed decadence of fresh Maine Lobster meat on a roll served with ample cholesterol defiant drawn butter.

Nothing can beat this combination which can only happen in Maine, and Boston cannot even come close to match the glorious flavors of these palate conquerors. They were and still are the best. The saying  ... "thought I died and went to heaven" ... cannot be more appropriate here.    

TSA PRE

I flew from Beijing to Chicago, pick up a flight for Portland in Maine from where it is a 2-hour drive up to Boothbay Harbor. Why Beijing? It is HK$13,000 cheaper that is why. Apparently the least expensive UA C-class tickets to the U.S. are to fly from China, instead of Hong Kong where one gets robbed.

The flight was uneventful and smooth. UA has cleaned up her act and the seat, food, entertainment were in fact decent, at an almost unbeatable fare. With a nice tail wind we arrived early at O'Hare but were on the ground for 35 minutes waiting for a gate. Immigration was empathetic when I told them why I need to be in Maine, even the luggage belt was without any hitch. Then came security. I was at the tail end of about a 100+ passengers when a staff waved me to another queue ... TSA PRE.

What a nice shock! There were 6 people in front of  me. A prominent sign that says : DO NOT REMOVE the following items from your carry-on; computer, shoes, phone, belt and so on. You put the bag on the belt, clear your pockets, walk through the detector and you are done. All smiles, no questions, it was a 2-minute surreal Fellini experience. I was told this arrangement has been available for almost 2 years. Any frequent flyer can join after filling in an in-depth online questionnaire, a security check, and paying a modest annual fee. If you fly First or Business Class the airline might add that to you ticket, as shown in the picture, so make sure you have it on your next US visit. The horror stories at American airports we so often hear about were just stories, at least that was the case yesterday when I landed in Chicago.           

BACK TO THE USA

I have been retired for 7 years but have only been back to the U.S. once for the 50th Reunion of my singing group at Tufts, the Beeelzebubs. I am here now to attend the 'Celebration of Life' in Boothbay Harbor, Maine for my surrogate father, George Cochrane, who called me his step-son.

I have nothing against America, she is just not on my list of "post retirement dream trips". At the height of my business travels, between Executive Committee responsibilities at RRA and our 3 girls attending different schools in New England I actually made 12 trips to the East Coast in 12 months and that, was no fun. I made a mental note to stay away from business destinations I frequented such as New York, London, Singapore, Shanghai & Beijing .. reminders of 'work' which is an alien word to my lazy body, and even lazier mind these day. With that as a backdrop I thought I would not be impressed by a 3-hour lay over at O'Hare in Chicago but surprisingly that was not the case at all. Passing through this airport where I spent God knows many lonely hours transiting, I became nostalgic, especially when I walked through this tunnel at Terminal 1 that links to the New England commuter flights. My sentiments have everything to do with our girls at the tender age of 13 when I introduced them to this very tunnel, escorting them to boarding school for the first time and later traveling with them to college. This airport setting has not changed an iota, O'Hare is still O'Hare and America is still America but the girls are adults now. Terri will soon accompany her twins to boarding school and I am 67. We have all moved on. I treasure those 1-on-1 trips when Daddy was their pillar of strength. We 'talked' a lot more on those journeys and those conversations have since been replaced by What'sapp, by pragmatic messages with no soul. C'est la vie!?        

QUOTABLE QUOTES

I was watching a cooking show and heard the following which I find meaningful.

"Home Cooking is an Expression of Personality, and Not Aspiration" ... Touche!

MEET THE MASTERCHEF TEAM

Here they are the crew at Masterchef led by Chef Usha Argawal, and ably supported by her Sous Chefs Santosh and Rohit who are brothers. My short tenure was 2 weeks and I felt every bit like a close member of the family. The Chef and her Consort, the super wonderful Mahesh Argawal treated me like a son, even though I am a few rungs up the age scale. The two boys grew up in the Argawal household, next to their own children and if there is one thing they are taught well .. it is cooking. I took a video of Rohit, the younger brother in blue, fine chopping a red onion with such finesse I was in awe. Returning home I told my team that 'this is the way onions are to be chopped moving forward'. They are good nature, polite, helpful, friendly, skilled but their zeal to learn is singularly inspiring. Santosh was my tour guide on one of my days-off and we lunched at a Chinese restaurant where he ate his first Tiger Prawn .. imagine that!

Back in 2009 at Le Cordon Bleu my class size was 15 in Cuisine and 18 in Patisserie. I have since become spoiled by the 1-on-1 approach where I learned not only how to cook, but to become a better human being via these priceless inter-cultural encounters as I had at MasterChef in New Delhi.  

TO SUM UP MY CURRY BAPITISM

My mission to complete 10-culinary experience worldwide from age 60-70 is not complete without a Curry Sojourn in India. Via TripAdvisor I was able to join Chef Usha at MasterChef in Delhi for a full week of 1-on-1 classes. I chose the word 'baptized' in the title because it is the most appropriate description of what I went through, at the end of which I emerged with a totally different mindset on Indian cuisine, and of course on the challenges of cooking it. Indian cooking is complex, make no mistake about it. My 6-days gave me a rudimentary first look at 'what is Indian cooking' and in particular specialties like; Punjabi, Mughlai, South Indian,Tawa-Handi Specials & of course Indian Sweets. 

The Chef hails from the Punjabi region but Delhi is home for 20+ years. She is a veteran in teaching Indian cuisine. A vegetarian all her life, what amazed me is her abundant knowledge how the maze of curries, Masala, cooking methods and technical tips complement meats, poultry and seafood. She is a walking dictionary. The lessons were conducted in her spacious home in the quaint neighborhood of Defence Colony, away from the hustle-buzzle of Delhi. I stayed in the area (Stallon Hospitality) and 'walked to school' every morning, passing the local market and making friends on the way. Such friendly people! This unique feel of 'belonging' alone is memorable. 

Back to the classes : totally producible recipes and clear notes were always at the ready, fully hands-on experience in the kitchen from start to finish for every recipe, open to all questions throughout the course, excellent demonstration of techniques, plating instructions and lastly, ample tasting at the end of every day, in the form of a sumptuous 5-6 course late lunch to 'taste what we made'. The curries and specialties are simply superb. Did I make them .. I asked myself that question daily, the answer was still no, I did not, I could not possibly have. I took copious notes but unless I start practicing .. code word for making each dish 10 if not 15 times .. I can never get to the fluency that the Chef showed me, and expect of me back in Hong Kong. I was in awe the whole week, by the overload of information, by the Chef's never ending coaching but above all, by the kindness and generosity of the Argawals. I have done 7 such sojourns already with 3 more to go but believe me, my time at MasterChef is one of a kind. 

Chef Usha thank you for my Baptism!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g304551-d6781171-r335008434-MasterChef_Cooking_Classes-New_Delhi_National_Capital_Territory_of_Delhi.html#