6-nen buri

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We still can't believe it's been 6 years since we sent our Asshole across the rainbow bridge. Foursheets and I still go out for dinner each year in his memory, but unfortunately our regular place for this ritual is no longer around. We decided to look for another place where we could enjoy some beef over a bottle of red, and since Miyoshi (肉の匠 三芳) opened a more casual outlet in Hong Kong, we decided to check out Gyu+bar by miyoshi.

We were seated at the counter right in front of the charcoal grills, so we saw all the beef and the seafood being grilled over open flames. We were also not far away from this giant-ass charcoal oven, which was where the protein goes to get finished.

I took the 6-course menu so I could have two main dishes.

Three more pasta

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Tonight we are back in Estro after a long absence. I had to cancel our last booking nearly 2 months ago, and I knew I needed to make it up to Juve Fan. It's been much too long since I last came to see him, longer for Foursheets, and even longer for My Favorite Cousin.

I know it's been a long time since My Favorite Cousin was last here, because she was not aware that one can now order à la carte instead of taking a set tasting menu. And as I have preferred to do on the last few occasions, I wanted to focus on the beautiful pasta here. So I asked for three of them. In fact, I was really tempted to take all four that were on offer...

But I knew Juve Fan wanted me to take a starter, so I went with his suggestion. Would that be too much food for me?

We started with some sesame crisps and tarali, both of which were fragrant and full of flavor.

A wine emergency

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Mama Bear is in town for a short stay, and I managed to catch up with her for coffee a couple of days ago. She was apparently at her wine cellar today checking up on her collection when she sent me some pictures. A couple of bottles from her birth vintage were showing ullage that were on the low side, and she wondered whether the wines were still drinkable. I assured her that the wines were probably still fine, but it would be a good idea to drink them up sooner rather than later.

That was when she suggested that I help her open them up, and she wanted to do that TODAY. Well, I could open them up at home, but with this pair of wines... they should be given the proper respect by being drunk over a nice meal. So I asked for a last-minute table at Ta Vie 旅, along with a couple of menu changes, all the while apologizing profusely to Takano-san for the imposition.

It's been far too long since we were last here, and I was glad to come and taste Sato-san's new creations. Of course, I also love me some old favorites.

One always starts the meal here with the signature nukazuke (糠漬け) bread, which I have loved ever since my first visit back in 2015.

More cheese and more Japanese

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We've been meaning to catch up with Kutsuyama for a few weeks now, and we finally managed to catch each other tonight. As we didn't need a big, heavy meal... we thought we would catch up over a couple of bottles and nibble on some cheese. Roucou seemed like the perfect enue, and I really wanted another opportunity to check out the many other dishes I didn't get to try yet... especially ones with a Japanese touch.

Foie gras and poppyseed crème brûlée - I had this on my first impromptu visit after a gala dinner, and I was happy to have it again. Tough to resist a foie gras dish like this...

Manav's Hong Kong

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I have always enjoyed Chef Manav Tuli's cuisine since my first visit to Chaat, and over the years I've seen him work on a few dishes where he reinterprets Cantonese dishes with his "Indian" perspective. Tonight I was invited to return to Leela for a dinner where he put together a collection of his creations called "Flavours of Hong Kong".

I took a look at the menu for tonight, and realized that I had actually tasted some of them on my last visit 3 months ago. As they were pretty tasty, I was only too happy to try them again, along with whatever Manav has developed since then.

But first... I'm happy to that I still have the opportunity to enjoy some khakra (ખાખરા).

No MSG

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A couple of days ago mom mentioned that, on a radio program she tunes in to regularly, the host had interviewed the chef of the Golden Dragon Restaurant (金龍餐廳) in The Grand Hotel (圓山大飯店). The chef claimed on the program that they make their dim sum items fresh everyday (shouldn't all decent restaurants do this?!) and that they don't use MSG. The latter was what piqued mom's interest. As a long-time sufferer of adverse reactions to chemical additives in food, she doesn't visit Chinese restaurants often when dining out. So she wanted to see whether these guys really live up to their claim.

I made a booking for lunch, and of course Last Minute Uncles does what he does best... join us and insists he won't come unless he gets to pay. Well, he is a member at the hotel's club so he knows this place better than any of us.

It's the first time I stepped foot in this restaurant, and as I look at the dim sum section of the menu, I got a little ambitious and wanted to try as many items as possible. I did remember to order in rounds, though...

Steamed rice rolls with mixed sauce (混醬腸粉) - this is a street food staple in Hong Kong, and I've had it many, many times for breakfast. Unfortunately the sauces just tasted off... although neither Foursheets nor I could pintpoint why.

Beefy anniversary

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I'm back in Taipei for a few days as we celebrate the Parental Units' anniversary. The last time we were together for a celebratory meal, the mood was pretty different... there was a lot of trepidation about what was to come for our family. Seven weeks have passed, and while the future remains uncertain, we are more optimistic than where we were the last time out.

In a break with the past where I chose restaurants that would appeal to mom, this time around dad was the focus. A recommendation was needed for another restaurant with a sommelier capable of handling an old bottle, and A Cut was what came up. As famous as the restaurant has been over the years, I had simply overlooked this hotel steakhouse when searching for dining options in the past, and never got around to checking it out. Well, it was time to hit this steakhouse with a Michelin star.

My first impression upon entering was one of disappointment. I chose not to return to Tutto Bello tonight because I felt the dining room was too dimly lit, and that wasn't good for mom. Well... this dining room was practically like a dungeon, and we could barely read the menus even with the help of these tiny lamps on the table. I didn't evem bother taking out my 360 camera for the usual group shot. Sigh...

We decided to make it easy on ourselves and chose the set menu rather than trying to order à la carte. I took time to explain all the available options to mom, while making sure dad ordered enough beef for himself.

The bread selection was pretty decent.

Aus. wagyu beef tongues: kale • red wine sauce • piri piri • wasabi - I was pretty surprised by how thick cut the tongue came. Interesting that it came topped with a marinated kale condiment. We've got a nice dose of acidity thanks to pickled radish on the side.

No chicken in the 'hood

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It's been quite a few months since I last caught up with the Specialist, and it's been a couple of years since I last sat down with BFF and the others. I took the opportunity to take them to Neighborhood, as I happened to have booked a table, and it's somewhere they haven't been to in quite a few years.

The Kitchen Nazi is still MIA, which means once again, I get to order what I want to eat. As it is still 休漁期 where there's a moratorium on fishing in the South China Sea, we weren't likely to get any amazing seafood specials for the next 3 months. I guess that's why he's off galloping halfway around the world.

Escargot / ramps - I'm so happy to have this again. Love the classic flavor combinations of escargot with garlic, but in a different form.

Fish congee

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I'm still kinda in pain from indigestion, so for lunch today I chose to have congee. Now that we live relatively close, we should be hitting Ho Hung Kee (何洪記) more often for our noodle and congee fix.

Congee with pinspotted spinefish (泥鯭粥) - nice to see that they have a whole fish to go with the congee.

It was nice to see them put chiffonade of aged tangerine peel in the congee for the fragrance. Along with ginger and spring onions, these help balance out any "fishy" flavors.

House specialty wonton in soup (正斗鮮蝦淨雲吞)

The Chairman in pain

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Two days after we first met, I'm sitting down with my new friends from Europe again. They had visited The Chairman (大班樓) a few years ago, but that was before the menu format change and the move to the current digs. I seem to be always taking visitors and other friends to dine here, but the good news for me tonight was that for once, I didn't have to order the signature flower crab!

The bad news for me was that immediately after lunch, I suffered pain in my digestive system that prompted a visit to a clinic... where I was diagnosed with indigestion and prescribed meds to (hopefully) alleviate the symptoms. That meant I wouldn't be at full capacity tonight, and would be nibbling more than devouring.

I know that my guests have big appetites but I chose to stick with the "regular" or "basic" menu, without adding any extra dishes. I figured that since they are eating their way around town with two big meals a day, this should be enough in terms of calorie intake...

Ginger and vinegar pig trotter terrine (甜醋子薑豬手豬耳凍) - since being introduced in 2023, this has quickly become one of my favorite starters here. I made sure to give the download on the origins of this dish to the visitors, as those not familiar with local customs would never make the connection with birthing mothers. I do love the sweet and sour vinegar, and how the jelly reminds me of what the original dish looks like when I first take it out of the fridge. The signature pickled young ginger of the restaurant has been finely diced and used as garnish, alongside really finely chopped kaffir lime leaf for their beautiful fragrance.

The golden roll

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I'm entertaining a couple from Europe who are eating their way through town. I had been trading messages with one of them for a few years but we had never had the opportunity to meet until now. I did take the last-minute opportunity to check if was an axe murderer by following him on social media, and I felt reasonably sure that he is not.

So I showed up for our dinner at Wing (永). Vicky had very kindly let me book a table early to ensure we get the date my new friend had asked for, and I was initially somewhat surprised that no one had asked us which of the restaurant's two menus we preferred. Of course, I knew we would be in good hands with Vicky.

We started with the seasonal welcome drink, which is designed to work for each of the 24 seasons (節氣). As the start of summer (立夏) was just two days ago, we would be enjoying a cup of loquat, preserved apricot, and hawthorn drink (枇杷杏乾山楂飲). One of the benefits was meant to be coordinate between the intestines and the stomach, and I could only hope that it does that job well.

Before the start of our meal, we were shown a collection of special ingredients which would be used for our dinner tonight. The humpback grouper (老鼠斑) was still alive and breathing, although obviously not happy about being out of the water at this moment...

Double the pleasure, double the fun

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Our stay in Taipei was much longer than we had originally planned for, and this resulted in us having to cancel a few gatherings with friends. Now that we are back for a few weeks, we figured it was time to make it up to the chefs and restauranteurs who were incredibly understanding of our situation. I had checked the booking website for Godenya (ごでんや) and found plenty of open seats, so I grabbed 2 at the counter tonight to start off our long weekend.

It's been far too long since I was last here, and I was bummed about missing the special little flowers this season. Foursheets and I still looked forward to all the goodies coming our way, though...

Hotaru squid, udo, wasabi leave, sansyo-leaf (螢烏賊 独活 花山葵 木の芽) - I'm always so happy to see all the variations of this dish during this season, because it features all the elements of spring.