Hakkasan Hanway Place - London's One Star Michelin Chinese Cuisine

One Star Michelin restaurant, Hakkasan, is known not only for contemporary chinese cuisines but also for their cocktails. The people behind Hakkasan has designed the concept to be one of mystery and grandeur. Their website described it as modern ethnic. A trip to the Hanway Place branch sees the restaurant located on an obscure run-down quiet street. You won't imagine there's a classy restaurant located there if you happen to pass by, let alone a Michelin Star one. The long flight of steps down the dark tunnel leads to a blue lighted poshly furnished walkway with well groomed reception. The mystery and grandeur follows through and through especially during my trip to the restroom. The restrooms are hidden behind the walls camouflaged by the interior designs. The food that awaits also lives up to the impressive setting they designed to greet all guests.

We ordered the Hakka Lunch Menu (30/pax) to kick off our lunch. We started off with the dim sum basket that consisted of har gau, scallop siew mai with topiko caviar, chinese chive dumpling with prawn and crab meat and soy crumble beancurd dumpling. I think what impressed me the most was how this dim sum basket doesn't shove you up with in your face premium ingredients to justify their Michelin Stars. I totally enjoyed every bite of the individual dim sum. The har gau's prawns were fat and robust in flavour. The siew mai with scallop was again understated yet excellently prepared. The chive dumplings carries a distinct chive flavour wrapped around the juicy prawns and the soy crumble beancurd was surprisingly light with adequate sweetness. It's really a culinary display of how skilled chefs can bring normal ingredients to life.

I was equally impressed with the puffs selection. Crispy smoked duck and pumpkin puff, baked venison puff and spicy mooli crab meat pastry. Each of the puffs were flaky and buttery without overdoing any part of it. I felt the ingredients were generous. It is faultless! I need to state though that I suspect the food are prepared in large batches because there's no room for customization of your order at all. I don't take beef but they refused to swap out the beef dishes.

This unassuming stir fried baby broccoli with goji berries and crispy seaweed is a silent killer. I found the entire plate extremely addictive and Vain Pot and I literally fought over finishing the plate. It's probably the winner of the day. I've no idea that vegetables can be this tasty, it definitely took us by surprise. Pardon the bad photography, I haven't figured out how to use the Olympus PEN PL 8 in the dark yet and I missed my free training. Whoops!

The Hakka Noodle which we couldn't finish and had to pack it up was equally good. It's just that this meal is simply too value for money they feed you so full and well, we really couldn't finish the noodles. The noodles were cooked well and delicious but I can't comment much because I was too full to truly appreciate the dish.

Once again, I am left totally impressed with London's Michelin Star restaurants. They totally dropped the pretense to impress you with expensive food and showcase their legitimate culinary ability with simple food. Awesome! Hakkasan is highly recommended.

Hakkasan Hanway Place
8 Hanway Place, London, W1T 1HD

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - 2 Star Michelin Dinner in London

This is by far one of the best Michelin Star experience among my limited global collection of Michelin Star exposure. Located at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, the restaurant carries a posh yet understated ambiance to kick off your dining adventure. The open kitchen concept also gives you a live view of how the dishes are prepared. Rated 2 Michelin Stars, their menu is inspired by ancient cookbooks. The repertoire of contemporary dishes exudes a lot of culinary history from the British Library. In fact, each of the dishes on the menu has a date next to it based on which year this inspiration is derived from.

Honestly speaking, I'm not much of a fine dining person. My personal experience has unfortunately been made up of pitiful portions of above average food with hefty prices that leaves me not completely sated after the meals. Vain Pot on the other hand knows how to appreciate fine dining. In fact, much of our choice of food is influenced by her knowledge of this 2 Star Michelin establishment.

We kick-started our dinner with warm sourdough bread and butter on the side.

Pardon the shaky photo, I realised that the Olympus PEN Pl 8 doesn't fare too well in the dark. (Maybe this is an excuse to mask my bad photography skills) Vain Pot started her meal with one of the much acclaimed Meat Fruit (£22.00). This mandarin orange looking fruit lookalike surprised me because it contains chicken liver parfait inside. The flavour of the chicken liver parfait was on point and goes excellently well with the grilled bread on the side.

My own starter of Frumenty (£23.00) was another mind-blowing experience. The grilled octopus is by far the most tender grilled octopus I've ever eaten. Looking at the fat succulent tentacles, my biggest worry of all octopus dishes is that it's hard and rubbery. Not this one. Going with the smoked sea broth, I literally cleaned my plate.

I was mildly surprised by Vain Pot's choice of Cod in Cider (£39.50). Felt a little too ordinary for this day but she wanted fish. It was served with chard and flamed mussels. I guess simple dishes are those that showcase culinary excellency. The cod was soft, tender and the buttery sauce that comes with it takes it to another level.

My personal favourite for the night is the Spiced Squab Pigeon (£46.00). I've never eaten pigeon before so my closest comparison are ducks, goose and turkeys. The squab pigeon is extremely tender, the knife cuts through easily. On it's own, the pigeon flavours stood out. I can tell because pigeon meat doesn't taste like the other birds I've eaten. With the onions and artichokes, the flavours surprisingly blended together well. With the malt and pigeon sauce, the pigeon dish stood out even more. I find it truly impressive that all the elements on the plate seems to complement each other to better the dish. It's unlike how some establishments use expensive ingredients simply to justify the price and probably to hide the actual value of the culinary skill at play. This dish has created a new found willingness to splash my cash on Michelin Star fine-dining in Europe.

We both ordered another of their renowned dish, Tipsy Cake (£17.50). It's Spit Roast Pineapple. While the dish is nice, I'm not culturally attuned to appreciate it. Vain Pot thinks the dessert is really good and this time we were both too full. So there's a little regret we didn't share one Tipsy Cake.

I've a couple of takeaways from this dining experience. The chef's ability to make ordinary food awesome is truly impressive. The 2 Michelin Stars is so well deserved. Most of the Asian Michelin Star establishments seem to focus on expensive ingredients and ambiance rather than the culinary skill to produce the food. When you pay the right price at the right places, fine dining doesn't leave you famish but totally full you need a walk to digest everything away. I'm definitely willing to spend on another such experience. Everyone who comes to Europe should try the Michelin Star food here.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA

Kam's Roast - Singapore's outlet of HK's 1 Star Michelin Restaurant

Kam's Roast is the overseas outpost of Hong Kong's 1 star Michelin Kam's Roast Goose. The catch here is there's only duck in Singapore, no goose. This is because the supplier to their Hong Kong outlet doesn't meet the regulations to import their goose here. Located at Pacific Plaza, Kam's Roast is part of an increasing chain of Hong Kong and Michelin starred establishments opening along Scotts Road. Some of the other prominent restaurants include Tim Ho Wan, Tsuta and Mui Kee across the road.

After queuing an hour for Mui Kee two weeks ago, I was a bracing myself for another queuing challenge this time. Thankfully there's no queue when I visited the outlet at 6.30pm.

Given that we couldn't try their signature Roast Goose due to AVA restrictions, we settled for the next closest item which is Roast Duck ($19.80, for 1/4 lower body). I specially requested for the bones to be removed and they were very obliging. Eating this roast duck reminds me of my very first visit to Hong Kong's Kam's Roast Goose. I recalled that experience was so positively good that I specially made a second trip back to eat it again before I left. (I have never visited the same restaurant twice on a single holiday trip, before this) The roast duck had very tender meat. The sweetness of the gravy was very distinct and it really made the dish stand out. Judging from the taste, the quality control is not lost despite this being an overseas outlet, which happens very often with many other overseas establishments I've tried.

I really love pork and I would feel the meal isn't complete without pork. We ordered the mix pork combination of Toro Char Siew with Crispy Pork ($27.80). Once again, the meat was extremely tender and a joy to eat. I can finish the entire plate myself (if I wasn't trying to control my diet). I enjoyed the honey coated sweetness that goes really well with the toro char siew. The toro char siew is prepared using a secret recipe of the Kam family. The roast crispy pork is another winner with the right balance of fats and tender meat. The crackling pork skin provides the added oomph and texture that goes well with the meat.

As the friend I brought along for the meal hasn't been overseas before, I'm really glad both dishes gave an accurate representation of the Michelin Starred restaurant in Hong Kong. Would I come back for a second visit? It's a rousing yes. I already foresee bringing my family here for dinner one night. This experience has made me a loyal fan of Kam's Roast. I highly doubt I'll bother to visit other roast meat or duck establishments should I have a craving. Must reserve the calories for the best. I highly recommend Kam's Roast if you have craving for roast meat or duck!

Kam's Roast
Pacific Plaza, 9 Scott's Road #01-04/05/06/07, S228210

9 Things to Do in London for Tourists

It's midweek and I decided to spend my time more productively. I've slacked off a week from contributing some food ideas due to my busy schedule. I decided to make up for it today with something slightly different from food. Here's some of the key highlights of my last London trip to give ideas to anyone travelling.

1. Go for an Afternoon Tea with your +1 or friends/family

In London, there's 3 kinds of Afternoon Tea you can try. The first is the typical walk-in parlours where you don't need reservations and still can enjoy wonderful cakes. The one shown in the photo is from Peggy Porschen cakes. While there's no reservation required, be prepared to queue. If you enjoy taking pretty food photos like me, this place is highly recommended. 

The second kind of dining experience is very similar to the third. It's basically afternoon teas that require reservations. This is split into two kinds. Quirky afternoon teas or traditional afternoon tea. The one I tried was the B-Bakery Afternoon Tea Bus Tour. You get to have your afternoon tea in a London red bus. It's a classic. The tour covers the key attractions of London and the service from the on-board staff is really awesome. This isn't to say that the food is cliche and gimmicky. In fact, Brigit's Bakery has a dine-in outlet in Covent Garden and the menu is the same. The quality of the food is definitely worth the money. I can attest to that. I'd like to try the traditional afternoon tea in London during my next visit. 

2. Wear your Cultural Hat and Visit Museums

Museums sound boring if you aren't particularly into art or history. I share the same sentiments most of the time. However London is known for being a home to many famous artists and also its cultural heritage. There're many museums you can visit and a good number of them are free. Given that I wasn't that into museums, I enjoyed the free to visit cultural venues while passing my day waiting for Vain Pot to end work. Unlike the museums back home, the exhibits here along with the architectural sophistication of the buildings make it worth the trip. It's quite an eye-opener even if you know nothing about appreciating arts or the historical significance of these venues. 

3. Go for Day Tours and Visit Castles

 

London offers a wide selection of day tours. My personal take is that castles are a must see because there's a living monarchy in the United Kingdom. The photo you see here is the Windsor Castle, the home of the Queen of England. Aside from this castle, there're many more interesting castles to visit with amazing landscape views. If you are into photography, it'll be a pity if you miss visiting a few. It's also these astounding architecture in Europe that is tempting me to invest in a better camera.. okay, I'm lying. It's because I'm going to Old Trafford to watch Manchester United versus Arsenal during my next London visit. 

4. Visit the Biggest and Oldest Toy Store in London

Hamleys in the oldest and biggest toy store in London. It has been around since 1760. Stepping into
Hamleys, it's a eye-opening experience compared with other toy stores I've been. First of all, there's staff playing toys everywhere in the shop. There's also a huge toy variety. The best part is, watching the sales staff giving demonstrations on the flying drones to the snapping balls to boomerangs, you really really want to own one of these toys yourself and be a kid again. Visitors of the stores are invited to try out most of the toys on demo and parents watching their kids have so much fun will also feel an urge to buy some toys. It's really an awesome experience.

As a tourist, experiencing the store on the consumer front is only one aspect. I see Hamleys also as a museum for toys with lots of photo-worthy toy displays. Lego royal family, WWE championship belt to crown jewels... it really brought out the kid in me and I actually bought a toy from the store!

5. Watch a Musical

London has many musicals which has gained global acclaim like Phantom of the Opera and Wicked. It's almost a pity if a visitor of London leaves without catching a musical. The musical I watched during my recent visit was Lion King. It's my first time watching a full-fledged animal character show on stage. I must say, the depiction is really good. The service at the theatre is also praise-worthy. They have ushers directing you to your seats and guiding you through the process if you are late. I've never experienced anything like that back home in Marina Bay Sands. Be warned, the show starts on the dot. Do not dally or you will miss the grand opening.

6. Challenge yourself to book Duck and Waffle at earthly hours

Booking Duck and Waffle, the 24 hours brunch place overlooking London, is an eye opener for me. I tried booking many weeks ahead. I tried different days and couldn't find a day where I can have a proper brunch meal at 11am, lunch time or dinner time. I ended up making a booking at 630am. That means leaving my home at 5 plus in the morning to eat breakfast. 

By the time I left the restaurant, I was treated to sunrise. Duck and Waffle is obviously famed for its duck and waffle dish. They serve brunch food at affordable prices even though I would say the food quality is decent at best. That said, patrons get treated to an astounding view of the London Skyline while enjoying your food. Try not to go in threes though, they don't like to offer window seats to people going in odd numbers.

7. Visit Harry Potter World

I do believe that Harry Potter World is a must visit for both Harry Potter fans and non fans alike (even if you haven't watched the show before). It's just an eye opener to see how such a massive production is filmed. I'm the one who knows nothing about Harry Potter prior to visiting. I enjoyed myself.

This particular set was what caught my eye and piqued my interest to visit initially. Looking at the set, it changed my perspective on how films are made and gave me new insights into cinematology.

The other part I enjoyed most was drinking the butterbeer and eating butterbeer ice-cream. Knowing nothing about Harry Potter, my initial thought was why they would serve beer in a place filled with kids. I even saw kids lining up for the butterbeers. Turns out that the butterbeer isn't real alcohol, It's butterscotch soda with a layer of ice cream on top. Butterbeer ice cream is basically caramel ice cream. I'd say it's an awesome visit despite knowing nothing about Harry Potter before the trip. It'll be best if you go with a fan so that they can give you some context for some of the scenes.

8. Eat Michelin Star Food

I visited Barrafina during my last trip. It is touted as the best Spanish Tapas in London. I don't have other experiences to compare with but I agreed that my experience at Barrafina was good. Before my trip there, a number of friends who have been there before told me to give it a visit. They mentioned that the Michelin Star food there is cheaper than in Singapore. Honestly, it's still pricey. But I think the presence of chefs with renowned reputations are more compared to back home.

9. Eat Fish and Chips

One classic dish if you must find one to associate London with is Fish and Chips. In my opinion, the type of fish that should go with every order is the Haddock.

There were two fish and chips I shortlisted. The first I tried was Golden Chippy's at Greenwich. It was voted the No.1 Fish and Chips on Trip Adviser.

The next one I tried was Poppy's Fish and Chips. It's probably the most highly recommended place online. Visiting Poppy's really seem to validate that point. The restaurant is full. I tried the Haddock for both places and to be honest, they tasted equally good. The sauce selection is wider for Golden Chippy's and they offered to refill my chips for free. On the other hand, I think I enjoyed the chips better at Poppy's. I'd say if you go to London, it's probably one of the must trys. It's indeed different from the Fish and Chips back home in Singapore.

Barrafina - One Star Michelin Spanish Tapas

I've resumed my working routine and haven't had much time to hunt for food much. I think I've been overly indulgent over the past 1 month and honestly my body is a little tired of good food. Yes you heard that right... I've been eating a staple of caifan and subway for the past one week so there's really nothing much to rave about.

I figured I've featured a range of food in London but yet to showcase any Michelin Star food from there. A lot of people kept telling me to try the Michelin star food there because it's way more affordable than back home. This trip, I visited one or two but didn't exceptionally hunt for Michelin Star food because there were too much other day to day stuff I wish to try. I honestly don't think that eating Michelin Star food in London is any cheaper than Singapore.

This is going to be photo heavy. Our food selection is honestly based on staff recommendation. The staff were very helpful and knowledgeable. We started our meal with a Mackeral dish that's on the special menu. I forgot to take a photo of the dish because the staff kept us very engaged. Service was excellent and the grilled fish was cooked to a tee such that the bones and the meat were so easy to eat and swallow.

We also had the Stuffed Courgette Flower which is not only pleasing in terms of presentation, it was also prepared excellently. The flavours literally burst through our mouth when we bite through and it's really easy to finish.

I'd be very honest, I wouldn't have been so adventurous to try the food if the staff wasn't there to guide me through my selection. As much as I'd like to pretend I know what I'm eating, I've never heard of some of the dishes before. The Escalivada con Pan de Coca is one dish I have no clue what it is. Apparently it's a dish made of vegetables on toast. It taste really richly seasoned even though I probably won't order it again.

The Iberian Pork Ribs was probably the biggest loser of the night. This isn't to say that it's a totally bad dish. It just pales in comparison to every other dish we tried. The tender meat and fats didn't really gel well together even though the sauce helped to salvage the dish especially if one isn't a fussy eater.

I reserved a special mention to this classic tortilla. Before my trip to London, I was asking Vain Pot to learn to cook me Spanish Omelette. After we tried this, we decided to shelf the idea to preserve the good memories of this dish. The ingredients were oozing out of the omelette skin once you cut into it. I really enjoyed how the flavours were so intense and we found ourselves devouring the dish really quickly. Wow.. if only all my eggs could taste like that...

The Milhojas is another classic dish. It's made up of thin layers of unsweetened pastry filled with custard and decorated with almond flakes. Cutting in and enjoying the dish, we found the dessert balance to be just right. Its light and soothing coolness provided us with the perfect finale to end our Michelin Star experience.

The overall experience is definitely befitting a Michelin Star restaurant. For the service and food, I'd say the pricing is inexpensive. Dining at Barrafina has given me a different perspective to Spanish Tapas.

Barrafina
10 Adelaide Street, Covent Garden, London WC2N 4HZ

Recommended Food in Hong Kong 2017

I skipped a post over the weekends because I'm away in Hong Kong. If you were following my instagram (@bluntandfussyeater) you would have noticed the overseas activity. This is should be my 5th visit to Hong Kong so am avoiding food I've tried before unless they are my hot favourite. Here's the recommended list from my most recent trip:

What's a trip to Hong Kong without dim sum? So the first stop was at this very instagrammable dim sum restaurant called Yum Cha. Most of the food on their menu is really meant to feed the camera first then the human. A quick introduction of what I ate in clockwise order, siew mai, prawn cheong fun, a combination shot, mango sago with blue cotton candy, piggy char siew bao, salted egg bao who can make vomiting and pooping expressions, spicy dumplings and pineapple bird tarts. I was pretty surprised that the food was surprisingly decent for this kind of novelty cafe. In fact, I'm of the view that Singapore Dim Sum tastes better but this is surprisingly close to our shopping mall establishments. If you love to take photos of food like me, then you can't miss visiting this place! Expect to shell out about $50-80 sgd for 3 pax.

Yum Cha
2/F Nan Fung Place, 173 Des Voeux Road Central

Another standard fixture of ALL my Hong Kong trips is a trip to Maxim Palace for this E-Fu Noodles that one can die for. Yes, plain looking, ordinary E-Fu noodles with mushrooms... yet, you can't find a dish that taste similar in Singapore. This E-Fu noodles doesn't have a strong oily taste unlike the ones back home and they have this addictive wok-hei tastiness that goes very well with the mushrooms that doesn't make me sick of having it.

 

To be fair, Maxim Palace serves up excellent Cantonese dishes. All the dishes at Maxim Palace was impeccably executed. For my mom who hates Cantonese food especially those in Hong Kong because they don't have chilli, she's full of praises of this place. This is also a must visit place for me and in my previous entry last year, I raved about the soups. I'll definitely be back again when I make my 6th trip to Hong Kong and I encourage everyone else to eat here at least once. At the very least, you should know how top quality Cantonese dishes should taste like. Expect a damage of $100-$150 SGD for 3 pax.

Maxim Palace
168-200 Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan

Australian Dairy Company is also a repeat feature from my 2016 post. I love the milk puddings there. I think it's an acquired taste because my mom and brother didn't like it. Yet, Vain Pot and I vouch that it's heavenly and just have it along with the macaroni and scrambled eggs set. We have milk puddings at Ah Chew's Dessert in Singapore but if you tried it before, you will realise how far apart the standard is from the one at Australian Dairy Company. This is the best I've ever eaten! They have a custard version but I like the milk pudding a lot better. Expect a damage of $16 SGD for a set meal with custard pudding and milk pudding.

Australian Dairy Company
47 Parkes Street, Jordan

Another thing that have always been on my to-try list is rainbow cheese toast. In this case, I always thought that Kala Toast was a cafe-like establishment. I was quite surprised by the hole in the wall shopfront and being a hobbyist food blogger unlike the pros, taking the rainbow toast photo standing proved to be a hassle. The other highlight at Kala Toast is their galaxy drink which they placed luminous ice cubes inside the drink and it changes colour when you stir it. The rainbow cheese toast taste like an excellently prepared grilled cheese. The rainbow cheese makes it a little gimmicky but it's definitely a good representation of a good cheese toast. This is a snack rather than a full meal, you might wanna give it a try if you happen to be in Tsuen Wan for shopping. The shopping malls there are less crowded, making it a more pleasant shopping experience.

Kala Toast
4 Tsuen Hing Path

Before the trip, my mom who hates ramen actually said she will bring us to try a famous ramen place in Hong Kong. Wow! I was intrigued. Turns out that it was Ichiran which I personally haven't tried before but have heard loads of rave reviews on it. So we went to queue for it! When you first step into the place and see this long sneaking queue that extends past 2 corridors it's quite frightening. How long do we need to wait?! Thankfully it's only a 30min wait and we were seated with our food. The ramen lives up to its fame with a very rich and flavourful broth with a spiciness level that gives it its added kick. I very much enjoyed the noodles with the broth but didn't like the char siew which was hard and a little too dry. The egg was awesome, running yolk on the inside and the sturdy egg white to match. Would I queue to eat this again? Not really, I feel I can find equivalents in Singapore without the queue. It's still a good experience especially if you haven't tried the one in Japan before. Expect to pay around $50-80 SGD for 3 pax. 

Ichiran

G/F & Shop B, Basement Floor, 8 Minden Avenue, Tsim Tsa Shui

The visit to Lin Heung was honestly unexpected because I originally wanted to have tomato noodles for breakfast. Hong Kong's Independence Day along with Xi Jinping's visit caused a lot of shops to close on that day. Lin Heung is a traditional dim sum cha chan teng which requires visitors to share their seats and order their dim sum from pushcarts. While the food isn't fantastic, I enjoyed the old school way of having dim sum and the wider variety that I don't find in restaurants. It's also a more affordable way to feast on a lot of dim sum. Expect a damage of $23 for 2 pax. 

Lin Heung

162 Wellington Street, Sheung Wan

If you don't like the chaos of ordering dim sum, here's an alternative typical Hong Kong breakfast set which you can get at another Cha Chan Teng at Honolulu Coffee Shop. In Singapore, Honolulu Cafe is famed for their egg tarts which apparently has a wider variety than their original outlet in Hong Kong. Talk about innovation... However, the breakfast set, ordinary as it looks is really comfort food and I love it. I'm craving for it at the moment and wondering where I can get an equivalent in Singapore. If you want to know how ordinary food like good scrambled eggs, buttered buns and kong zai instant noodles should taste like, give Honolulu Coffee Shop a try! Then you will know the difference back home. Expect to pay about $15 for 2 pax.

Honolulu Coffee Shop
176-178 Hennessey Road, Wan Chai

You know I was quite upset throughout the trip because I didn't have any good authentic Cantonese soup and porridge this time round. So at the airport, I dragged my family to have lunch at Ho Hung Kee, Michelin Star for their Wonton Mee but serves up the best Cantonese Porridge I have eaten. This is a restaurant that I gladly agree deserves their Michelin Star. On the day that Xi Jinping was in Hong Kong, I happen to chance upon a Bib Gourmand restaurant which also served porridge and soup and seriously, that was an epic 'how did they get the Michelin recognition?'. You got to try their sliced fish porridge at least once. Then you will know how far it differs from the porridge in all the expensive restaurants in Singapore and this one is way way way better! I paid about $60 for 3 pax.

Ho Hung Kee
Hong Kong Airport