Diamonds and stars

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A little over 3 hours after running into Chef Liu, I walked through the doors of Yong Fu (甬府) in Hong Kong for a collaboration dinner B Bestie invited me to. I'm cognizant of the fact that I was just slagging off some of these collaboration dinners with multiple chefs across different countries and cuisines, but this one seemed a little different. Yong Fu Hong Kong and Yong Fu Shanghai are from the same group and serves dishes from the same cuisine, while I felt there can be real synergies among Ningbo cuisine and the Cantonese cuisine featured in Jade Dragon (譽瓏軒) as well as the Chiuchow cuisine showcased at Selection by Du (菁禧薈). In spite of my misgivings about the kind of stuff B Bestie gets up to in terms of these "x-hands", I have supreme confidence in Chef Liu Zhen (刘震)'s and Ms. Yu's ability to put together a fantastic menu.

The real VIPs were in the private rooms upstairs, while the KOLs sat in the main dining room downstairs. It's been a few years since I last saw Natalie from the City of Dreams, and of course she was here accompanying Chef Kelvin Au Yeung (歐陽文彥). I also got a chance to greet some old acquaintances I haven't seen in a couple of years.

While the four head chefs have put together a 10-course menu - where most of the dishes were individual efforts and one course included input from all of the chefs - there was a wine pairing featuring solely wines from China. This is definitely more of the trend these days, as restaurants from China are eager to feature wines from up-and-coming producers from their own country.

Appetizers (頭盤):

Six sons for lunch

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It was more than 8 years ago that I brought Gaggan and Tara to Seventh Son (家全七福) and fed them their famous roast suckling pig. Gaggan wanted some dim sum today with the boys, and although my original intention was to bring them to Forum Restaurant (富臨飯店) - which I introduced to our mutual friend Champagne Diva last year - plans changed a few hours ago. And we ended back here, with a table of 8 hungry mouths.

While waiting for our food to arrive, I showed the boys a picture of my friend on his last visit here. He was proudly wearing a top from a famous Japanese designer, woven with a Chinese character (or kanji (漢字), if you prefer) that one does not use at a dining table. I'm not sure how much my friend has changed since that meal 8 years ago, but at least this time it's too warm for him to be wearing the same top.

As always, Mr. Tsui Wai Kwan (徐維均) - the seventh son himself - sat at a table in a corner enjoying his lunch as well as observing the crowd. It's been a few years since I last stepped foot in this restaurant, and he seems to have aged a little more than I had expected - not unlike what happened to my own parents. I'm happy he's still fit enough to come and keep an eye on things.

Barbecued whole suckling pig (大紅片皮乳豬全體) - OF COURSE we started with the roast suckling pig again. The boys were all excited and took out their phones for pictures and videos, but some bongwater lover couldn't wait for everyone else and decided to snag a piece of the crackling first.

Kolkata, Hong Kong

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I was surprised when Gaggan told me that he was doing a pop-up in Hong Kong during the week of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants. He hasn't done a pop-up or collab at Asia's 50 Best since Singapore in 2023. I was even more surprised - pleasantly, of course - when he told me that it will be Indo-Chinese. He knows of my fondness for "Chindian" cuisine, so I was really looking forward to tasting what he and the team would come up with. Now, knowing that he was doing this at the Kerry Hotel - the host venue for the awards ceremonies of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants - I naturally dialed down my expectations...

Due to limits on work visas, Mr. Bongwater wasn't doing service tonight. I had originally planned to take him somewhere and open a few nice bottles together, but I would have a tough time passing up the chance for some fun with Gaggan, so Mr. Bongwater ended up sitting with us at dinner tonight. Foursheets and Bong Girl also joined us to make it a foursome.

The event is called Gaggan Tirreti Bazaar, after the Chinatown neighborhood in Gaggan's native Kolkata. I know my friend loves Chinese food, and maybe one of these days I'll have the opportunity to explore the Chinese restaurants in the area with him.

Henriot Brut Souverain - this was rounded on the palate with good acidity balance.

We started with a series of dim sum bites:

K-eighborhood in Jeju

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Lots of so-called KOLs are in town for the festivities around Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, and many restaurants in town are busy hosting 4-, 6-, 8-, and even collabs up to 14-hands. Unlike previous years where these "50 Best Signature Series" events were by invitation only, this year tickets are available for sale for the many meals. I'm pretty sure most of the events sold out quickly, too, once people were given the opportunity to participate in the fun.

I wasn't planning on going to any of the events at lunch time, since they're happening during my work week, but when the Kitchen Nazi pinged me about his collab event, I figured I could maybe take an extended lunch today. And since Mr. Bongwater had requested that I take him to Neighborhood while he's in town this week - something that was impossible due to the late timing of his request - I asked permission to bring him along, too.

I'll freely admit that I had not heard of Chef Kang Byungwook or his restaurant Last Spring (넘은 봄) on Jeju Island. When I first saw the event being advertised on social media, in the back of my mind I noted that the guest chef was "some Korean guy" and that his restaurant is not in Seoul - since the event was referred to as "K-eighborhood in Jeju". Funny thing was that while talking to a few KOLs who were also invited to the event, none of them knew who the guest chef was... In fact, some actually thought the Kitchen Nazi was doing this solo.

As we found out during the meal, Chef Kang actually worked in Hong Kong for a few years - both at my beloved Ta Vie 旅 and L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon. Apparently he also spent a month in the kitchen at Neighborhood, which is how he is connected to our host.

One of the reasons I don't go to many of these events is, well... I'm an asshole. I'm picky about who I sit with, even when the meal is free. In fact, I'm MORE picky about my dining companions when it's by invitation, because I really only want to share space and time with people whose company I enjoy (or at least don't object to). So with the restaurant filled with KOLs and wannabes, it's easy to guess how the meal went.

First up was what looked like the "dry bouillabaisse" that is often served here as the first dish, but the Kitchen Nazi called this "cold Jeju [seafood] stew". Local spiny lobster, razor clams, shrimp... etc. were poached in a crab broth seasoned with gochujang, then chilled before serving.

Big guns for big friends

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Hong Kong is hosting the awards ceremony of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants for the very first time, and we are being flooded with chefs, restauranteurs, KOLs and wannabes. Naturally, our friend Gaggan would be coming into town with his crew for the festivities. So Fergie and I arranged to catch up with him on the day of his arrival.

We know our friend is seldom in Hong Kong, and has asked for Cantonese food for this visit, so Fergie and I decided to take him to Man Ho Chinese Restaurant (萬豪金殿). Both of us are fans of Chef Jayson Tang (鄧家濠)'s cuisine, and although he's no spring chicken, we feel that he's pretty underrated and "undiscovered" - especially when it comes to the KOL crowd. If the visiting horde were all rushing to the same handful (or less) of restaurants for their fix of "Cantonese" cuisine, then we would be better off somewhere else.

I made arrangements with Jayson for a special menu for tonight, and also made arrangements with Keith - the restaurant manager - regarding glassware for the wines I would be lugging to dinner. Everyone was incredibly helpful and accommodating.

Hours before dinner, Vlad sent me a link to verify the restaurant's location. Much to my horror, I discovered that there were TWO restaurants in Hong Kong named Man Ho Chinese Restaurant!!! The place I know at the JW Marriott Hong Kong is known as 萬豪金殿 in Chinese, but there is another - with the same name in English but known as 萬豪中餐廳 - at the Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott Hotel near the airport. I quickly let my friend know the correct location to make sure they don't take a long ride in the wrong direction.

Well... despite having been warned by his trusty partner, Gaggan still put in the wrong location into his ride-hailing app... Thankfully he discovered it halfway and turned around. We would start our dinner a little late, then...

Indian Hairy Legs did manage to make it to dinner, and I'm really happy to catch up with him again after missing a couple of opportunities over the last few months. Of course, it's nice to see Mr. Bongwater, too!

We started with the current amuse bouche, which was a little abalone with some slices of pickled cucumber, together with a sweet, spiced plum gelée. A nice and refreshing bite.

Signature barbecued pork with honey sauce (萬豪貴妃叉燒) - always good to kick off a meal with some char siu, and the Ibérico pork collar (脢頭) is so, sooo tender. Soooo tasty. I'm always happy to chew on this and taste the juices.

Not your average lobster roll

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It's Friday night and Foursheets is at home entertaining some friends from out of town. I decided to take the opportunity to have some "me time", and my initial thoughts were to go check out places I haven't been before - especially somewhere more casual. But it IS Friday night, and many of these new joints were seeing good business... which meant no seats for me on short notice.

I messaged the Hairy Chevalier and asked whether I could just sit at Caprice Bar and have two dishes from the kitchen. I also asked if there were new dishes I haven't had a chance to taste - but of course there were... I figured I would end with a dessert from Brownpaperbagged.

I arrived to find, much to my surprise, a mostly-empty bar. Hairy Chevalier had very kindly arranged a table by the window for me, and said he would send me a couple of seasonal dishes. Meanwhile, I had requested the services of Floriane, who had received the Michelin Guide Sommelier Award only yesterday. I asked her to pick out the wines which would pair well with the dishes that the kitchen would be sending my way... whose identities I did not know.

Green asparagus with verbena and citrus cream, spring jelly - we had asparagus gelée with diced asparagus, verbena cream and citrus cream, and of course asparagus spears and slices. So refreshing, so pure. It's just the taste of spring inside one's mouth. As it turns out, I was the guinea pig for the dish. They had been testing it in the kitchen but had not put it on the menu, and since I was around they decided to send it to me. And I happily lapped it up.

The asparagus from Vallée de Loire was paired with a wine from the same region:

Cheesy Wednesday

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I have not been a good friend. My old friend Jeremy Evrard returned to Hong Kong with his family, and opened up Roucou to continue pursuing his love of French cheese. Plenty of friends have raved about the "cheese omakase" he is serving up, but other than a last-minute decision to drop in, I never made any serious plans to check out the offerings. Until tonight.

Foursheets and I were catching up with an old friend after quite some time, so I figured we could just come and have some bites with a couple of bottles of wine. Our friend did not want to have the cheese omakase, so I figured I'll save that for a later date.

Saint Felicien: hamachi carpaccio, daikon raddish herbal oil and cheese dip - this was a little meh, as the fish was still a bit frozen.

Saved by the sticks

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It was a little more than 2 years ago that I last saw Egon Müller IV in Hong Kong, at an amazing tasting featuring wines from his family estate Weingut Egon Müller - Scharzhof as well as those from Domaine Trimbach. When DaRC asked whether I would be interested in joining a tasting of his wines that is being organized by ORD Fine Wines, I immediately said "Yes". I do recall, with much fondness, the previous time I attended such a tasting just before the pandemic. This time, though, there would be some red wines at the tasting so it won't be just riesling.

The three of us showed up at the new home of Palco inside Heritage 1881. I know the restaurant only by name, but I figured simple Italian food would be fine... I would be wrong.

We started with a glass of welcome drink while waiting for everyone to arrive. As I sat in my seat while others mingled, I received a message from the Zhongmeister that he was here, too, together with some mutual friends. So I, too, got up and mingled. That was when I realized that Egon was not here. Apparently he needed to be at the estate, so his daughter Isabelle came in his place.

2021 Château Belá Štúrovo Riesling - nice, classic nose of petrol and white truffle. A little sweetish on the palate but still got the acidity.

We finally sat down and started dinner more than 40 minutes late... and I was starving.

Long time no goose

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I haven't been back to Yat Lok (一樂燒鵝) for a long time, as I kinda got sticker shock during my last visit. But I figured I could "downgrade" my lunch and spend a little less money today. And since I went a little bit early, the restaurant was actually only half full when I walked in.

Boss Lady asked whether I will be going to the Michelin Guide ceremony in Macau in two days' time. I told her that they don't actually invite me often, and I actually haven't been there since I ran into her there 3 years ago... She also asked where we moved away to, since we used to be neighbors for a few years... Well, maybe there's a chance we could be neighbors again!

Roast goose rice (燒鵝飯) - I decided not to have my usual goose leg since, at the current price of HKD 175 plus another HKD 22 for either rice or noodles, it's USD 25 for a simple lunch. When I first started coming here 20 years ago, the price was maybe half or less compared to today. Still OK, and I was happy enough with this.

Blanched morning glory (通菜全走)

Aussie neighbors

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After I missed out what looked like a fantastic dinner hosted by my Aussie friend a few weeks ago, the host suggested that we meet up at Neighborhood over a few bottles. As it was a bunch of rare and old Aussies I had missed out on, I thought we should have the same wine theme. With that in mind, the Film Buff would be a perfect dining companion on account of his collection of Aussie wines. I also ended up roping in Fergie because, well, surely he is up for drinking just about anything.

I didn't tell the Kitchen Nazi that I was coming, figuring that Shirley would let him know if necessary. He was geuinely surprised to see me as I tapped him on the shoulder. I was kinda hoping that this meant we could do the ordering ourselves, but no such luck... So we prepared ourselves for an onslaught.

Strawberries / burrata / caviar - I was surprised to find that there were two types of strawberries here... I thought the white chunks were potatoes, but they were actually white strawberries - which were just as delicious as the red ones. The salinity of the caviar worked very well with both the creamy burrata as well as the sweetness of the fruit.  Pretty refreshing as a first dish.

Peace out

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At the start of the year, Hoper's Base (人人和平) announced that they will be closing their current flagship by the end of the year. I have enjoyed a few meals over the last few years, although our last casual lunch there left a very bad taste in Foursheets' mouth. When Bong Girl pinged me about doing a dinner there with g4gary - who is school mates with the bosses - I was more than happy to put my hand up.

The restaurant had proposed a menu for us, and since it may or may not be my last visit here, I figured I'd make two special requests. As if we didn't already have enough food.

It's been a while since I was last here, and since our friend is a VIP, we were led to the "private room" in the adjacent shop space. At least here we wouldn't have to be bothered by the unpleasant smell that I've encountered before...

Nostalgic "money chicken" (和平金錢雞) - right off the bat we have the first item I requested. "Gold coin chicken (金錢雞)" is one of my favorite items in Cantonese cuisine, and so there are increasingly few places which continue this tradition. I loved it when it was served on my very first visit here, on a bed of deep-fried rice crispies (鍋巴). Sadly, they discontinued that amazing version. Nowadays it comes on top of a slice of baguette, which doesn't come anywhere close to giving the satisfaction of the previous version.

The team Chairman

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It's been a few months since my last trip to The Chairman (大班樓), and this time around I brought along people from my team - who normally don't have the opportunity. As some of them are visiting for the first time, once again I proposed a menu suitable for first-timers...

Crispy taro cake with smoked duck (茘甫鴨盒) - this was pretty good today. The smokiness was nice, and the diced Chinese celery inside was very fragrant.

Deep fried crab meat and mushroom dumplings (金錢蟹盒) - Danny very kindly offered us an extra appetizer. This is old school, and very tasty. Unfortunately it was also a little greasy... but I know it's not easy to get this one just right.

Flaming sticks

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I don't normally get to eat much yakitori (焼き鳥), since Foursheets is very picky about where she will eat chicken. She also doesn't eat chicken offal, and serious yakitori joints pride themselves on their offerings of rare chicken parts. So while lots of people in Hong Kong have been going gaga over Torikaze (鳥かぜ) - the new, local outpost of famed Torishiki (鳥しき) - I've kinda just let the hype pass by. I wasn't too fussed, and happy to let people fight over these precious seats.

B Bestie finally decided that it was time for me to check the place out, and very kindly let me join a group of ladies tonight. We were seated in the middle of the U-shaped counter for the first seating, with a good view of both the grills sitting behind the glass wall.

It's a prix fixe menu but there were plenty of options for add-ons, with a choice of 14 chicken parts as well as 10 additional non-chicken alternatives - 9 of which are vegetarian. So potentially this could be a more balanced meal, except we were limited to just 3 additional items due to time constraints... or so B Bestie claimed.

It was interesting to me that, at least during the second half of the meal, head chef Matsui Ryo (松井亮) was focused on grilling the vegetables instead of chicken. I take that as a sign of the importance they place on the vegetarian options on their menu.

Chicken mousse, pickle red carrots and radish, konbu jelly (紅白なます) - this was definitely an upgraded version of the classic pickled carrots and radish, with some purple carrots included.

Scratching a rare sushi itch

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I have only been to Sushi Kumogaku (寿し雲隠) once, at Mr. Chichi's invitation. After enjoying the delicious osechi (おせち) from the restaurant on New Year's Day, Foursheets decided that she would like to check the place out. And when she developed a hankering for sushi over Chinese New Year, I decided we would take care of her itch sooner rather than later.

I arrived more than 15 minutes prior to the start time, as one does for Japanese restaurants where the itamae (板前) service to all customers is done at the same time. We were seated before the appointed time of 7 pm - which is the same for everyone - and found ourselves to be the only ones. We didn't see anyone else until 10 minutes AFTER service was supposed to start, and finally at 7:15 pm Chef Kin finally started serving the first otsumami (おつまみ) to those who were already seated... Then a few Kong girls strolled in just before the cut-off time of 7:30. These people are lucky they're dining in Hong Kong, because they'd be fucking banned from booking again in Japan.

Japanese snow crab chawanmushi (松葉蟹茶碗蒸し) - the fragrance from yuzu was lovely.

Tandoori, tandoori, tandoori

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My friend's sister, who I haven't seen in more than a decade, is spending Lunar New Year in Hong Kong. We decided to catch up over dinner, and after she expressed interest in Indian cuisine, I made a booking at Leela. It's been some time since I last went to see what Chef Manav Tuli, and one always leaves his restaurant happy and full...

I was hoping to fly under the radar - even though I knew that B Bestie scans the booking logs - so I wasn't surprised when James greeted me... as I strolled in through the doors while on a work call. We placed our orders, and my friend and I proceeded to take turns ducking out for more work calls.

First up was a serving of khakra (ખાખરા). Always a nice snack to tingle one's palate.

Sichuan jasmine

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For the last couple of years, Mr. Chichi has been hell bent on getting me to eat spicy food with him, despite having been told that my tolerance level for heat is not very high. I've flat out turned down invitations to Hunanese cuisine, even though they were invitations from restaurants and I wouldn't have to pay. I kinda pushed my limits last month at Chef 1996 Restaurant (1996川菜•主厨餐厅) in Beijing, and I know that meal made Foursheets pretty happy. So when Mr. Chichi extended an invitation to Deng G (鄧記), I relayed it to wifey... who promptly said 'Yes'. Having tasted Chef Deng's cuisine a few times over the years, I know that his style isn't all about red chili oil, so I figured I could do it.

The only problem is that the original location in Wanchai closed, and we now have to cross the harbor to the remaining outlet in K11 MUSEA. Travel distance aside, I really hate dining inside this mall - because the whole place reeks of that fake vanilla scent that's pumped throught the entire complex. Not only does it interfere with the food, it also kills any decent wine I bring to my meals. So I very, very rarely willingly go and dine in any establishments there. But I now have to do it for Foursheets.

Well... these digs are certainly a lot more grand than the old shop, and since our host is a VIP, we got ourselves a private room with harbor views. Foursheets even thought that the fake vanilla scent in the mall wasn't as bad as she remembered...

...but unfortunately, vanilla has been replaced with jasmine, which was pumped into our room mere moments after I sat down. Is that better? Perhaps, since jasmine tea is at least part of Chinese cuisine while vanilla isn't really used much. But the periodic spray into the room did annoy me, especially since there were a couple of bottles of wine on the table.

As always, Chef Deng Huadong (邓华东) put together a special menu for the VIP, and unfortunately it included one of my dietary restrictions. Sigh.

Once again, we started with Deng G six appetizer combination (鄧記六小碟):

Spicy seafood medley (鮮椒海鮮匯)

No snake no problem

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It's our annual team dinner tonight, and for a number of reasons I decided that Man Ho (萬豪金殿) would be the most suitable location. I've always enjoyed Jayson Tang (鄧家濠)'s creations, and truth be told, it's been too long since I last showed him some love. So I was pretty happy to ask him to put together a menu based on our budget.

I was pretty happy to see that we would be served mostly dishes I've never has before, which involves Jayson pushing the boundaries of Cantonese cuisine as he adds flavors which aren't considered "traditional" or "classic". I'm always happy to see chefs doing this, as long as they're not being flippant - or "taking a piss", as the Brits would say.

We had an amuse bouche to start, featuring a little abalone with pickled cucumber, and a sweet gelée that tasted of five-spice (五香).

Next came a trio of chef's specialties (萬豪金殿獻萃):

A night with raw shellfish

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A well-known foodie who happens to be a compatriot of mine is eating her way through town, and DaRC had originally invited me to join them for dinner tomorrow at my favorite private dining facility. Unfortunately I had to schedule a team dinner for tomorrow, so DaRC very kindly made room for me at Yong Fu (甬府) tonight. I know that the restaurant is launching the spring banquet later this week, and I was secretly hoping that some of those dishes would show up tonight...

It's been some time since I last saw Ms. Yu, and when I arrived she was already in the room along with Chef Liu chatting with our guest of honor. I sneaked a peek at the menu, and it was obvious that I hadn't tasted most of these dishes. Yay!

I love these snacks! Mahua (麻花) is something I loved since childhood, and the other puffed rice cracker kinda reminds me of hineriage (ひねり揚げ), or kali-kali (卡哩卡哩) as they're called in Taiwan. I couldn't stop eating these throughout dinner, despite all the delicious dishes we had in front of us.

Chiuchow classics

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We have a visitor in town who wanted a meal that wasn't Cantonese, so The Great One asked RAW Yeah to pick a place for Chiuchow cuisine. I had never heard of Chiu Ka Banquet (潮家宴) before, but it's just walking distance from my office, so that worked out well.

As I approached the door of the building, I saw a light box out front advertising the name of the restaurant. As it turns out, the restaurant is inside the clubhouse of the Hong Kong Chinese Importers' and Exporters' Association (香港中華出入口商會). The powers that be had, probably years ago, decided to shorten this to 中出商會... so naturally the club is called 中出會所. Well... anyone who has remotely had any exposure to Japanese AV would know what 中出し means...

L'Ami du vin

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After a year of inactivity, MNSC is playing catch up this year. So for the second week in a row, the boys gathered over dinner to blind taste a few bottles. We haven't seen much of Dr. Poon since the onset of the pandemic, so it was good of him to be hosting tonight. Knowing his close connection to Sébastien Allano, it's not surprising that he chose Ami as the venue.

It is perhaps surprising to myself that I have yet to visit the restaurant despite it having opened some four years ago. I dined at Épure several times, and enjoyed Nicholas Boutin's cuisine. After handing over the reins of Épure and setting up Ami, though, he somehow fell off my radar... as friends I dine out with don't seem to mention the place. This would be a good time to redress the situation.

We were, naturally, seated in the private dining area. Unfortunately, the soundproofing was practically non-existent, so the diners outside were probably still subject to our conversations...

I was a little hungry, so the sourdough and buckwheat and genmai (玄米) smoked butter was a welcome relief.

Rayas does British

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I was a little bummed about missing the MNSC dinner that Pineapple hosted on Christmas Day. He is a perennial generous host and I was envious of my fellow MNSC members for being able to taste the fantastic wines he opened. But truth the told, these days my priority is to spend more time with the Parental Units, and Christmas is just family time for me. I made the same decision to miss the MNSC dinner for Pineapple's 30th birthday in order to travel to Japan with family.

As we hadn't been holding MNSC tastings for a whole 11 months last year, it was decided we needed to catch up this year... and Lord Rayas took responsibility for hosting one tonight at Roganic. I had forgotten that he likes Simon Rogan's cuisine, but I happy to come back after my second visit to 2.0 a few months ago. Tonight I would get to try some of the dishes I didn't choose from my last visit.

Raw Spanish mackerel, oyster emulsion, pickled kohlrabi and smoked roe - very refreshing, almost a little cheesy.

Beijing trip 2026 day 4: barbecue by the lake

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Our last morning in Beijing, and we still didn't have much of an appetite for breakfast. We did, however, need some caffeine this morning, so we walked around and stopped at CITIC Bookstore (中信书店) next to our hotel. It's a nice little space where one could have coffee and hang out, and there are even books I could read while chillin'.

We checked out of our hotel and brought our luggage to lunch. Our taxi didn't want to make the long loop to the restaurant entrance, so we dragged our suitcase a short distance along the shores of Houhai (后海) to Kaorouji (烤肉季). Having done traditional Pekinese lamb hotpot for our first meal, it is somewhat fitting that our last meal of the trip should be old school lamb barbecue.

A special room upstairs had been arranged for us, with an adjoining barbecue room affording us a lovely view of both the Drum Tower (钟楼) and Bell Tower (鼓楼).

The real attraction, though, was the big wood fire griddle (炙子) made by welding strips of iron together. The intention is for the fat to drip down the gaps between the iron strips, although I do wonder if that still happens with this particular griddle that reportedly has been in use for some 60 years.

Beijing trip 2026 day 3: no referral

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There was a short and awkward period between the end of our sightseeing and our appointed dinner time. We had planned to park ourselves somewhere for a quick drink, but the bar below the restaurant at Taikoo Li Sanlitun (太古里三里屯) wasn't open yet, so we decided to just show up early to Old Tower for our dinner.

I'm not familiar with the dining scene in Beijing, and I never knew about this restaurant's existence until it came up on our itinerary. Truth be told, I was not familiar Chef Talib Hudda. Well, I have heard of his previous restaurant Refer, because it showed up on Asia's Top 50 Restaurants one year and registered in the back of my mind. I didn't really have an idea what Talib's cuisine is like, and certainly didn't know that his new restaurant is so named because of his nickname in Chinese, but like the rest of this trip... I just follow loh.

We were seated in the "private" area, which was just outside the entrance to the kitchen, and separation with the main dining room was by means of a drawn curtain. This arrangement felt kinda awkward, as staff must pass by our table every time they go in and out of the kitchen, and they also have to navigate the nearly floor-length curtains drawn for privacy.

Well, we did tell Talib that we came early to have a drink, and he very kindly comped us a bottle of bubbly to start...

Krug Grande Cuvée, 173ème Édition, ID 124007 - this has got that classic toasty brioche nose of Grande Cuvée, while the acidity on the palate was on the high side.

Pistachio chips - made with scraps, and meant to be something one can snack on with drinks. A little on the spicy side.

Beijing trip 2026 day 3: 3 ducks with Da Dong

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Another day, another morning with no appetite for breakfast. Knowing we have another big lunch coming up, I decided to give up my search for that jianbing (煎饼) breakkie I have so longed to have.

I've always enjoyed my meals at restaurants bearing the Da Dong (大董) name. While Mr. Dong is famous for his newer style, "crispy not greasy (酥不腻)" roast Peking ducks, it's a style I don't particularly care for. I like my ducks juicy and greasy, and nothing excites me more than seeing the juices run down as a chef slices up a bird. However, I am a BIG fan of his other dishes - from the more traditional Shandong cuisine to even his "creative" work involving molecular gastronomy.

I was really happy that Gastro Esthetics at DaDong (美•大董海参店) was included on our itinerary. It's been too long since my last visit to DaDong, and I still think about the sea cucumber I enjoyed 9 years ago...

Foursheets noticed the Maybach SUV parked right outside the restaurant entrance, but we quickly went upstairs to our private dining room. Chef Dee from Chef 1996 Restaurant (1996川菜•主厨餐厅) was our hostess today, and there was a spread of little snacks for us to enjoy while we waited for everyone to arrive.

The menu at DaDong's restaurants have always seemed like literary works. I still recall the big, à la carte menus looking like traditional Chinese texts, and our custom menu today read like a scroll. The title was Banquet Postlude to Winter (冬趣).

We started with some Champagne. Since I don't have to work today, I don't mind a little light drinking at lunch...

Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée le 31 Juillet 2023 - good acidity balance on the palate.

Finger food: 4 Pekinese snacks (手指餐：北京小吃四款): I guess we got a little extra since I counted 6...

Pickled celtuce cubes (泡莴苣丁) - in chili oil.

Visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites

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Since early 2007, I have been wanting to gear my future travels towards visiting more locations which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There are so many amazing places around the world to see!

Here is the list that I have already visited so far. Click on the links to see pictures from my Google albums.

Total count: 79 sites in 21 countries

Australia
Greater Blue Mountains Area - 1976
Sydney Opera House - 1976

Belgium
The Architectural Works of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement - 2018
Belfries of Belgium and France - 2018
Historic Centre of Brugge - 2018
La Grand-Place, Brussels - 2018
Major Townhouses of the Architect Victor Horta - 2018
Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex - 2018
Stoclet House - 2018

Cambodia 
Angkor - 2001

Beijing trip 2026 day 2: Sichuan in Beijing

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When I signed up for this trip to Beijing, I knew there would inevitably be meals which showcased northern Chinese cuisine such as Pekinese (京菜) and Shandong (鲁菜). I did not expect a stop at a Sichuanese restaurant to be part of our itinerary. Having said that, I do remember Mr. Chichi posting about Chef 1996 Restaurant (1996川菜•主厨餐厅), so I guess I wasn't too surprised to see this name pop up.

Foursheets and I arrived about half an hour before the appointed time for dinner, and the crowd that had gathered was already bigger than our lunch group today. The Man in White T-shirt Lightly-buzzed Chef (微醺大廚) and Dada had arrived in the city, and we were treated to the sight of him walking around in shorts in freezing temperatures.

The guest of honor tonight was the famed director of the popular TV series A Bite of China (舌尖上的中国) - someone who possesses an incredible amount of knowledge about various Chinese cuisines - and after he arrived, it was time to begin the feast. I didn't realize until later that tonight would include the "feast of the preserved meats", which was why the tonight's menu was inscribed with the title "Winter Sichuan banquet (腊珍宴)". I knew I was in trouble when I saw that the printed menu was 4 pages long... Chef owner Liang Di (梁棣) was really pulling out all the stops for our guest of honor, and Foursheets and I were so lucky to have been the the fly on the wall...

Sichuanese cuisine has categorized 24 different types of flavors (二十四味型), and the menu tonight clearly specified which flavor category each dish belonged to. Each chapter of the menu was also named after specific Song ci (宋詞).

Xing Xiang Zi • Opening (行香子 • 启品)

We were presented with the seasonal produce being used tonight, which we had seen on display while touring the main restaurant earlier.

Beijing trip 2026 day 2: plant-based lunch

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Considerating that I went to bed around 3 a.m. this morning, I definitely woke up too early. I had spent a little time yesterday researching for potential breakfast spots around Conrad Beiing, but I simply had zero appetite this morning. My dream of an authentic jianbing (煎饼) breakfast would have to wait until tomorrow, then...

One of the reasons why I chose our hotel was that it was only a short walk to our lunch venue today - and I would be able to avoid sitting in the notorious Beijing traffic. With the sun being out and it not being a windy day and all, the 20-minute walk to lunch was leisurely and nice. We even passed by one of the breakfast spots I had found on Dianping (大众点评).

I was kinda excited when our tour guide announced Lamdre (兰斋) as our lunch venue for today. Having earned a couple of Michelin stars as well as a place on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, Chef Dai Jun (戴军) must be doing some seriously good plant-based cuisine. Foursheets and I are always happy to explore restaurants that offer fine dining experiences in this genre, and the lighter nature of this meal would be a welcome break from our packed dining schedule.

Since we're in China and it is lunch, Mr. Chichi suggested that we take the restaurant's tea pairing.

Sweet osmanthus Oolong, Anxi (桂花乌龙, 安溪), 1996 - this was pretty nice and elegant. Very soft and very fragrant.

The first course of our tasting menu - entitled Rooted in the Autumn (京归秋根) - came with a trio of bites:

Beijing trip 2026 day 1: back in Strong country

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I'm spending a few days in Beijing, joining an eating tour organized by Mr. Chichi (吃吃君). It's been YEARS since I last went to a decent restaurant in Beijing - 9 years to be exact, and I haven't been back in the city since that short business trip 2 months before the pandemic started. With someone who's in the know doing all the planning, Foursheets and I just needed to tag along with the gang and bring our appetites. Sweet!

We took an evening flight that landed 10ish, and went straight to meet up with the rest of the gang for late supper. Our tour leader initially asked whether we would be up for mutton hotpot, then arranged for a table at Bistro Strong (壮壮酒馆). Having not done any homework ourselves and just blindly following (and trusting) our friend, we didn't realize how interesting this place would be until we arrived with our luggage in tow.

A long table had been set up in the middle of the floor for us, and the boss himself - whose nickname is "Strong Strong (壮壮)" - joined us for our late night feast.

I was so happy to see a plate of kumquats (金桔). These are so clean-tasting, so sweet and refreshing... without the strong acidity that I eschew in some citrus fruits. I had trouble stopping myself and, in the end, pretty much took most the plate.

2026 osechi: part 2

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A pleasant surprise for this new year is the gift of a second osechi (おせち) box, courtesy of Mr. Chichi (吃吃君). I went to pick this up from Sushi Kumogaku (寿し雲隠) today, and I was pretty excited to check out the contents.

2026 osechi: part 1

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It’s New Year’s Day, and we decided to kick off 2026 with some osechi (おせち), the traditional Japanese meal for the new year prepared in advance to be served during the first few days of the year. In the old days, many restaurants are closed during this period, and home cooks also get the chance to have a break, so having a few days’ supply of dishes that can be served without reheating became the way to survive for a few days.

I happened to have some Shangri-La Golden Circle points expiring at the end of 2025, and decided to redeem the points to exchange for the osechi from Nadaman (なだ万). We did this a couple of years ago, and while I don’t know if theirs is the best one in town, one certain can’t go wrong with this option.