THE PRINCIPAL

New eateries are openning up like wild fire, it is just not possible to stay in touch with 'the scene' regardless of how one tries. We were at The Principal recently, a member of the Press Room Group, and without any doubt it stands out amidst that minefield of competitors.  Located at the old Cina Citta site at the western end of Star Street across PP3 the decor is spacious, modern, clean, unobstructive and matches the elements of conductive fine dining.

Spanish Chef Jonay Armas hails from Tenerife and at the tender age of 31 he can look in the eyes of some tired chefs in town and eat not only their lunches, but breakfasts and dinners as well. He has further defined creativity, with an Iberico slant. Bored by big-wick chefs and Michelin stars galore these days we welcome Chef Jonay's cuisine and this is why ....

*  amuse bouche of truffled runny egg
*  minced crab, pickles, pear & ginger chutney
*  smoked Dutch eel, herring roe, pineapple ice cream, tomato textures
*  foie micuit, rhubarb compote, apple cru, buckwheat brioche
*  tomato tartare, dates, ajoblanco
*  suckling pig with lemon puree, sauteed red endives & pomergranate reduction
*  violet sponge, berries, yoghurt sorbet, pistachio puree & honeycomb

Adding to this delicious Degustation Menu we also had Martinis, house snacks of popcorn & Wasabi dusted Macademians, a nice Bodega, plus petit fours and potent Espressos ... at $1200 per head ... I can almost call it a steal!

The Principal @ 9 Star Street Wanchai ... Manager Joanne Sutherland (852) 2563 3444 

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!

I was Honorary Aide-de-Camp from the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force at Government House, on Her Majesty's last visit to the Colony. I was posted with the crew to accompany her to Shatin for the Queen's Cup Race, and I was able to watch her in close quarters.  I was awed by her regal presence, my first and most likely last encounter with a reigning monarch.  Did you watch the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, especially the Flotilla of Thousand Boats on The Thames?  Did you notice she was on her feet for 3-4 hours, in typical London elements?  How did she manage, at 86?  

God Save the Queen .... the National Anthem.  I always wonder why it is not God Save(s) the Queen but I guess the one upstairs has to be 1st person singular, always.  I was in 3 different official occasions when it was played, or sung.  First; when I was at St. Paul's when a member of the royal family paid a visit, I was singing it with the chorale.  Second; when Prince Charles presented a new Military Standard to the RHKAAF, I was the Uncasing Officer ie I removed the Standard aka flag in laymen terms, from its case, for the first time, before the Prince. Third; at the Queen's visit.  We were taught to stand at attention, and salute if in uniform.  I wanted to do exactly that throughout the weekend, whenever the National Anthem was played.    

God Save Our Gracious Queen, Long Live Our Noble Queen
God Save the Queen
Send Her Victorious, Happy and Glorious, Long to Reign Over Us
God Save the Queen

Indeed, may she live a long life, and may she continue to reign ....

RYU GIN 1CC 101

Possibly the highest Keiseki Japanese restaurant in the world, Ryu Gin is located at Level 101 at the ICC.  We were treated to dinner there last night, and it was indeed an 'extravagant experience' as Dora surmised.

Chef Seiji Yamamoto opened Ryu Gin less than 10 years ago in 2003, at Roppongi when he was 33 and has since enjoyed nothing less than total success.  Ryu Gin has 3-Michelin stars 4-years in a row, no doubt part of the master plan.  Chef Seiji's bigger mission is 'to become the front-runner to globalize Japanese cuisine' and the theme of Ryu Gin is 'to pursue possibilities of the Japanese cuisine'.  The 10-course Spring Gastronomy Menu we had was a case in point where the traditional, the contemporary, the Yoshoku, and the avant garde aspects of Japanese culinary arts were on full display, at their most creative.

*  Hokkaido Sea Urchin tempuraed in seaweed & Junsai in light acidic broth
*  Foie Gras with fresh figs & sesame cream sauce
*  Steamed Abalone with Lotus Mochi & Yuba, Mitsuba flavored sauce
*  Ichiban Dashi Soup with tender shrimp dumplings
*  Assortment of Sashimi : lobster, maguro, prawns
*  Charcoal grilled Alfonsino covered with Roasted Rice
*  Sukiyaki Kuroge Wagyu Beef Sirloin with Onsen Tamago, White Asparagus, Morel
*  Rice simmered in Sakura tea, with deep fried Surugawan Bay Sakura shrimps
*  Ryu Gin Signature !!!! -196C Candy Strawberry & +99C Strawberry Jam
*  Trilogy of Japanese Tea Desserts

4-hours free valet parking, they obviously do not want to rush the 10 courses.  You have to be there to feel the dynamic and energy of the meal. How was the view from 101 floors up?  What view?  Did anyone bother or even care to look outside?  Probably not!  One last thing, even though we did not pay but I would not be out of line to suggest that the bill should at least be 5 if not 6 stars, and why not?
 

QUOTABLE QUOTE

"There is never a good time, but you must find the time, and for me, the time is now ...."

By Coach Sommer, renowned Women Basketball Coach at the University of Tennesse, on her decision to retire after being diagnosed with Dementia. 

CEBU PACIFIC

We hear about the role of budget airlines in the future of aviation, and Cebu Pacific is a name that has drawn attention in Hong Kong, since there are 250,000+ migrant workers from the Philippines, many would pick the nation's flag carrier, PAL, or Cebu Pacific. On our recent trip to Donsol it was the only choice and let me say this, loud and clear, we loved the experience.  The Hong Kong - Manila legs were, much regrettably, on Cathay Pacific & Dragonair whose individual and joint performance were pitiful.

I lost my appetite and respect for CX after being a Diamond Member, aka 120,000+ miles per year, for 15 years.  I lost touch with reality, naively thinking they treat all pax royally until I lost my status post retirement. Despite the recent fanfare of a super Y-Class, CX has close to zilch interest in pax who turn right after they enter the cabin.  Already charging a premium for regular Y-Class (no one can tell me what for as food and service certainly do not justify it) the 'New Economy Class' is nothing more than further efforts to squeeze more $ from unsuspecting pax.  'Arguably the most profitable airline in the world ....' no wonder! The word loyalty in CX lingo is probably defined as ' ... our customers must be loyal to us, but that does not mean we have to be loyal to them at all ... ' something like that.  Dragonair KA used to be quite good until they were unceremoniously swept under the CX carpet, now she runs the risk of losing indentity and standards.

Let me share this story : we were booked on a CX/KA flight for 830pm departure from Manila ... no one said anything about delays at check-in ... the boards says 810pm boarding (I must give them a bit of rope here since this is Manila International afterall, and you know what that means) .... CX people said 'on time departure' ... until we were at the gate ... sorry Sir, the flight is delayed, but we do not know when, possibly 11pm ... why did you tell us earlier, why did I not receive an SMS as a Marco Polo Members, people asked ... sorry Sir, we do not know, we are only here to inform you the flight will be late ... at 10pm an announcement was made that the plane will arrive at 11pm 'due to technical difficulties out of Hong Kong' ... it never arrived until almost 1130pm ... we did not leave until after midnight, arriving home almost 2am.

I was so impressed I told my agent to stop flying me on CX from now on, it is just not worth the hassle anymore.

Back to Cebu Pacific, on time departute to Legazi, back to Manila, efficient check-in, friendly smiles from young and attractive attendants, no attitude but lots of good will, no food or drinks which is a world better than awful trays disguised as food, plus waterdowned, no longer frizzy soft drinks from dour and bored attendants on CX Economy Class ... OMG, where do these cattle looking pax come from, they ask!

Cebu Pacific, I will fly with you again soon, budget or not ... adieu CX, it is goodbye but I shall not kiss you!        

BUTANDING @ DONSOL

Whale-Shark watching was the main purpose of our Easter trip to Donsol.  This is the 'Certificate of Interaction' for our encounters with the Butandings ... local dialect for these huge inhabitants in neighboring waters.  'Buta' means blind, and 'Ding' is a large fish, put together they mean 'Blind Giant'.

We were under the impression whale-sharks migrate between the oceans when in fact they can only be traced on both sides of the equator, say 15 degrees north & south, in places like the Philippines, Mexico, Madagasca, Central America etc.  With sharks as ancestors (we never quite find out the whale side of the story) they go back a long way and Butandings can live as along as 100 years .... since they are not mature for reproduction until they are 30.

Each Butanding carries a distinct marking, behind the 5th gill and above the left pectoral fin, it is like a signature in an attractive polka-dot pattern.  We booked a Banca for two mornings, when they usually surface to feed on planktons, to ensure we go home with a sighting.  Luck was on our side, we met 3 : a baby about 10, a teenager about 20 and a full grown adult about 30+ years old that measures 8-9 metres, in the size of a narrow minibus.

Commotion begins when a Spotter, like the one in Moby Dick, identifies a shadow (a big one underway) as everyone on the Banca jockeys for position.  Only snorkeling is allowed as diving may scare off these tame giants. On the command 'Jump' we enter the water as our BIO - Butanding Interaction Officer - directs us to the terribly exciting but intimidating target underneath.  As in Jacque Cousteau documentaries we see her huge head first, then her dotted dorsal, and then without warning the tip of her tail right in front of our face ... breath taking, scary, and in such proximity one can touch it ... which of course is not permitted.  A good minute or so will lapse and like a replay of that time honored footage in Jaws, she almost carelessly fades into deep blue yonder, leaving one panting in total amazement.

Yes, one can call this sort of encounter spiritual, as one ponders one's smallness in the presence of these wild, georgous, graceful but blind giants who are 'Born Free' and are fortunate enough to 'Stay Free'.

On the lighter side, our BIO reminded us to never confuse Butanding with Tambunting, as city folks from Manila often do ... the latter is the name of a highly successful pawn shop chain in the nation's capital.

CASA ANGELES

I want to document not so much the mouth watering classic paella, but rather the purpose built paella pan for 15-persons, which our best pals the Angeles family used to host a dinner for us.  They also have a 30-person pan which is difficult to even envision, let alone to cook in.  It is an art form, just like Risotto in Italy, Ramen in Japan and Fried Rice in China. From our many visits to Manila over many moons we had the good fortune to learn the appreciation of finer quality Spanish fare. Dora, my fearless other-half (is she really better) would go as far as saying that 'some are better than what we had in Madrid', a statement I would never dare make. That said, the top 3 restaurants we kept going back to are ... Mario's, Casa Amas and of course, Terry's which to date offers the most modern interpretation of traditional Spanish cooking at its best, in Manila, including tapas.        

AMPALAYA CON CARNE

Ampalaya is Tagalog for Bitter Gourd or Bitter Melon, a vegetable disliked by many but loved by some, we are long time disciples of the latter persuasion.  While Thai cuisine carries both Chinese & Indian influence, Filipino cooking is linked to Spanish & Chinese roots, as in this recipe. 

This simple dish is common place in local eateries. Lardon or slices of lean pork sauteed in oil, flavored with garlic and preserved black beans until cooked. The Chinese would braise the ampalaya until it is soft but the Filipinos would add it last, with a quick stir fry to retain it crispiness. Interestingly stir-fried ampalaya carries a rather different texture and flavor verses the braised version, when the sharpness of the unique bitter taste is tamed.  It cannot be more simple to cook but does it taste good, with steaming rice which, unfortunealtly, is not in the Filipino culinary language.  Like many Southeast Asian countries they do not seem to mind cold rice, a cardinal sin in a die hard Cantonese kitchen.

ANGRY MAYON

One can do so much with one's camera these days, even an Idiot Camera like what I have. Using the 'Color Swap' function I took this picture right before sunset on the Embacadero waterfront .... the one in Legazpi, not San Francisco .... it helps to further enhance the mystique of Mayon, does it not? 

MOUNT - MAYON - VOLCANO

We took advantage of the long Easter break to do something we always wanted to do, with our best pals in the Philippines ... whale-shark watching in Donsol.  To get there, we have to transit Legazpi which is a 1-hour flight from Manila.  Legazpi is in the Albay Province on the island of Luzon, where the Mayon Volcano, or Mount Mayon is located.

Folklore names her Balkan Magayan ie Beautiful Volcano, or Balkan Daragang ie Beautiful Lady but majestic and graceful are just not enough to describe her beauty.  One has to be there to feel it, as Andrea did with her classic 'jump shot'.  Renowned for her 'perfect cone' Mayon is almost totally symmetrical.  She has captured the romantic imagination of many over time, and to those who witnessed her fury, outright fear.  I am always amazed by the heaven or hell references to volcanoes, offering fierce destructive power on the one hand and sheer mesmerizing beauty on the other. Mayon's first eruption was recorded in 1616 by a Dutch traveler and she is still active.  Her latest show of force was as recent as 12/29/2009.  By the way, it is not cloud at the summit. The grand dame is letting off steam from the crater ... fire will follow, not anytime soon, but she will.