Geruhage HK tour day 2: big, bigger, and huge

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Geruhage is no stranger to Caprice, having visited during Fabrice Vullin's stint there and then, amazingly, thrice in 2019 before Hong Kong closed itself off from the rest of the world. While I wanted to introduce my friend to newer experiences in Hong Kong - and Chinese cuisine in particular - I didn't think he would mind revisiting Hairy Legs as he enjoyed his meals here.

We had a pretty full house tonight so we decided to move the 8 of us from the Chef's Table to the restaurant's private dining room. We figured this would not only be more comfortable, but afford our visitors a nice view of Victoria Harbour. This turned out to be the right call.

Tomatini - I was told that the last shipment of tomatoes arrived from Chez Galliot, so of course I asked for a tomatini. As did everyone else, I think... Love the light fragrance of the poivre de Penja on top.

Geruhage HK tour day 2: just like Italy

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In addition to all the different Chinese (and not just Cantonese) meals I have lined up for my friend, I also added a couple of meals at some of my favorite restaurants. Geruhage has, of course, dined extensively in Italy over the years, but I had an inkling he might enjoy some of the things Juve Fan would send our way. So we turned up at Estro for lunch today and I resisted the urge to wear my Maradona Napoli shirt... No doubt the Angioni brothers were happy about that!

I told Juve Fan that we would be going for a big feast tonight so we should keep lunch relatively light, but I insisted on getting 2 pasta courses. I have enjoyed, nay, loved almost every pasta I have tasted here, and I wanted my friend to get a taste of that magic coming out from this kitchen.

But first, some aperitivo:

Tart with roasted eggplant purée

Semolina cushion, tomato, capers, olives

Geruhage HK tour day 1: sushi outside Japan

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My friend had three objectives for his trip to Hong Kong, and it was my job to work them into his schedule. One of them would be Shikon by Yoshitake (すし 志魂), which is a strange request for someone who has access to every single top sushi restaurant in Japan. It turns out that my friend was under the mistaken impression that he had not been to the restaurant when it held 3 Michelin stars. In fact, his last visit in 2016 was to then Sushi Yoshitake Hong Kong (鮨 よしたけ), which did have 3 Michelin stars but has since moved location as well as had a name change. Anyway, I dutifully booked us seats at the counter in front of Kakinuma-san.

Before we started, the staff informed us of an extra "add on (追加)" available for the night - which was octopus (蛸). Now, I know that Japanese chefs pride themselves on the way they tenderize octopus tentacles, and I'm always happy to enjoy them as part of a regular set menu... but I just don't think I love it enough for me to pay extra for it.

With the current ban on seafood imports from certain Japanese prefectures - including a couple of landlocked ones - the restaurant has displayed a map of Japan showing the affected areas. As seafood from other parts of Japan still need to go through random radiation checks, they now spend more time sitting in warehouses after arrival, which definitely negatively impacts the quality.

Steamed egg custard matsutake mushroom puree on top with fresh salmon caviar and yuzu zest (松茸 茶碗蒸し) - the salmon roe (イクラ) comes from fish caught off Hokkaido.

The matsutake (松茸) purée was not a smooth one, but we had little chunks of the mushroom.

Geruhage HK tour day 1: goose landing

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Geruhage is finally coming back to Hong Kong, and I've arranged a full dining schedule for him for the next 5 days. Some of my friends have looked at that itinerary and immediately remarked that it is a "suicide mission", and I do think that it's the type of eating I haven't done in quite a few years... so I wasn't quite sure myself whether I could still handle it.

Having checked into their hotel just before lunch time, I chose to start the itinerary with the easiest, most casual meal - lunch at my favorite Yat Lok (一樂燒鵝). Whether or not it is the "best" roast goose in Hong Kong is irrelevant, because I've been lovin' it for close to 20 years and the boss lady treats me well.

The tourists are back in full force, especially since this is the big, week-long holiday in China. We get squeezed in like everyone else, although for a while the three of us were moved to a table of four and had an empty seat next to us... but only for a few minutes.

Lower quarter of roast goose (燒鵝下庄) - I suggested we take just a quarter of the bird, in case we wanted to have room for a snack after lunch.

Chicken.Ass.Taco.

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Chubby Hubby's in town for a few days and wanted to catch up over a meal. He had originally requested one of the toughest tables to score in town, but as I had already asked the chef for a table in 4 days' time, I had to break it to my friend that I could not fulfill his wish on this particular visit. Instead, I suggested that we should lunch at MONO, as Ricardo is doing some pretty interesting stuff. It appears that Singapore is about to have its first fine dining Latin American restaurant, so this visit could, perhaps, offer my friend a glimpse of what may be to come.

As I am about to start my suicide mission at lunch time tomorrow, I was really hoping for a light lunch. Alas, that was not to be...

Mexican blue corn inflatida, mezcal-steamed fine Cadoret oyster, shallot cream and chayote - the flavors of those French oysters were definitely pretty strong, as was the bergamot. Nice crunch from the chayote on top, and there was something in the mix that numbed my lips a little bit...