Hanwooooo in Hong Kong

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We've known for some time that Born and Bred was coming to Hong Kong. 30K had been having discussions about this since at least 2019, although that obviously got derailed thanks to the pandemic. There had been sporadic talk about updated opening plans but none of those ever came to fruition.

A few months ago we started seeing signs outside a space being renovating, so we knew that 30K was opening some kind of noodle shop in town. A bunch of us were very excited and waiting for this opening, because we knew that whatever project 30K decides to do, he would put full effort into it and deliver results that are up to his standard.

I hadn't been paying attention about their opening timeline, and certainly hadn't heard anything from PR8. So I was a little surprised when 30K asked me to join him for lunch today at Moo-Lah (牟樂).

The raison d'être, of course, was to bring Born and Bred's Hanwoo beef into Hong Kong. But instead of just copying the concept from Korea, 30K decided to open a place serving dishes that locals are already familiar with, and upgrade it with "better beef from Born and Bred". I was eager to see how that would work.

A set lunch menu is a 3-course affair, starting with a simple salad, a main dish with noodles or rice, and dessert. Tonight we would taste through a few options from the menu.

Tomatoes marinated in plum juice (話梅番茄沙律) - the salad is light, and the tomatoes which had been marinated in preserved plum (話梅) sauce were pretty interesting.

A golden shower

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We received a proposal from the couple in the Tiny Urban Kitchen. As Mr. CSO's birthday is just a day earlier than Foursheets', they wondered if we would be interested in doing a joint celebration. They are big fans of Wagyumafia and have joined as members, and invited us to share this unique experience.

I know of a few people who were among the earliest members of Wagyumafia when they first opened in Tokyo, but I have never really had much interest in the kind of performative dining experience that they are known for. I see them as a more modern version of Benihana, and chuckle at the memory of my one and only meal spent at their original New York City location more thn 30 years ago - when the chef spent the whole evening been pissed that my friends and I completely ignored his theatrics. But hey... I know these guys at least serve up some pretty good beef, and our friends are a lot of fun, so we readily agreed to a joint celebration.

The entrance to the dining space is through Mashi No Mashi - the ramen joint from the same group. As this was our first visit, Foursheets and I were kinda clueless about what was supposed to happen. There wasn't exactly an area for us to cool our heels while we waited for our friends to arrive, and it felt ridiculous to stand in an open area behind people on stools slurping down ramen, so we asked to be seated ASAP.

We were then led into this small, enclosed space where it felt like an intermediate step before stepping into a clean room or a freezer. It was here that we would get our "welcome" bite and drink. I was a little bewildered, and as the whole thing felt a little rushed, it didn't exactly feel very welcoming to me... Had I known about this little step, I probably would have chosen to wait for our friends so that we could do this together.

We were given a piece of beef ham to start.

Sharaku Junmai Ginjo (寫楽 純米吟醸), R5BY - seimaibuai of 50%. The nose showed a lot of musk melon and banana, along with a very sweet, starchy rice profile.

After that little ritual, the two of us were led into the dining space, featuring a C-shaped counter around the prep/cooking area. I could see a Josper grill, so I assume that's where the chunks of beef would be cooked. The stools we would sit on were just a little high for someone of my stature, and it was a pain in the ass to have to get up and down. A couple of minutes later our hosts arrived, and we could finally get this party started!

Kosher in Ningbo

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The Hungry Tourist is working his way through restaurants on his next tour, and one of the places that I've recommended to him is Yong Fu (甬府). While it's not Cantonese and therefore not "local", in my opinion it's one of the best restaurants in town for Chinese food, and often on the list of places I recommend to friends visiting from overseas. As I was one of the people who recommended the place to him, I felt kinda obliged to join him for dinner so that he would be able to taste through more dishes. So... in spite of a heavy week of eating, and the fact that I had already indulged in a big lunch earlier in the day, I dutifully showed up to dinner.

We were set up in one of the small private rooms upstairs, with a menu pre-set by Ms. Yu the manager. This would be really interesting, as one of the guests requires food to be kosher and it just happens to be Rosh Hashanah (רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה). So we would have neither shellfish nor pork - two types of ingredients the restaurant is known for.

Chinese kale's heart ball (芥蘭球) - I do love the way they created a dish out of something that is often overlooked as too tough to be served at a nice establishment. These local kailan (芥蘭) stems were peeled, fermented in brine, and cut to break the fibers in order to tenderize them. The flavors from fermentation were definitely noticeable, and we've got some acidity as well as a hint of spicy kick. Such a great way to whet our appetites to start our meal.

Lunch with the ladies

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An invitation was extended by PR8 to taste the new, seasonal menu at Andō. It has been a few months since I last paid Goldfinger a visit, so I thought I could take time out of my very free schedule to say hello.

I never know who PR8 will arrange for me to sit next to, although I'm confident he knows not to have me sit next to some bitches. Today it would be Giona's responsibility to babysit us, and I would have the pleasure of the company of a few ladies who lunch. So the conversation turned out a little different today.

Carlito gorgor very kindly poured us some bubbly while we waited to everyone to arrive:

Krug Rosé, 28éme édition, ID 123009 - very fragrant nose with lots of red fruits, so sweet on the nose with a little caramelized sugar around the edges. Good acidity on the palate with a long finish.

As usual, we started with a series of snacks:

Six years on

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I haven't seen the Hungry Tourist for more than 6 years, as that was the last time he came to Hong Kong. He's back in town for a few days scouting out locations for his next tour, and this offered me a chance to catch up with my friend. He was having lunch at Lung King Heen (龍景軒) today, and as it has been 6 years since I last stepped foot in the restaurant, I figured I'd join him today.

We decided to focus on dim sum today, although my friend had also pre-ordered the roast chicken from Chef Chan Yan Tak (陳恩德) that he loves so much. I relished the chance to see how they have updated their limited dim sum menu, but sadly we dropped from a party of 3 to 2, so we were limited in the number of dishes we could try.

Our amuse bouche was a crispy rice cracker with vegetables on top, plus a couple of deep-fried whitebait. I was honestly a little shocked at the sight of this. Yes, the crispy rice cracker was very, very tasty... but that topping, seriously?! It looks like the frozen mixed vegetables (三色豆) that one finds in every supermarket's frozen food section. Not befitting a Michelin two- (and formerly three-) star restaurant at all.