tesss

Who would say no to an Early Bird menu? From 1030am - 12noon, the menu went for a song of HKD 200, afterwhich (anytime after 12 noon) goes for a tune of HKD 338. Shang Palace, synonymous with the Shangrila brand name, is a two starred michelin establishment in Hong Kong. Reservations was not hard to make, as opposed to the likes of Spring Moon, Yan Toh Heen and obviously Lung King Heen that needs weeks to a month's worth of advanced notice given. Spiced cashews and a trio of chilli sauces for the rest of the meal. It is uncommon to find habenero as part of the condiments. I was completely prepared for sliced chilli padi and preserved green ones.  Tea on the house, chrysanthenum with wolf berries - a family favourite and interesting way to cleanse the palette before the indulgence commences. Dimsum combination Steamed Shrimp Dumpling Steamed Minced Pork Dumpling with Black Truffle Paste  Steamed Assorted Vegetables Dumpling It seems that Shang Palace is not the place to be at ...

National Art Gallery somehow found a place in my food-tionary and I have been checking off their food and beverage establishments one at a time. Yan, belongs to a completely different section of NAG, infact the extreme end from Odette but super near Gallery and Co. Specializing in Cantonese fare, Yan offers ala carte and omakase options. Prawns cooked in dual styles deep-fried with thousand island sauce and wasabi-mayo ($36) Crispy battered prawns in two styles and while wasabi mayo is the preferred choice most of the time, both versions tasted similar. No clear favourite here. Sautéed scallops with fresh mushrooms and asparagus ($36) Bouncy scallops in such countable quantities, I always have a love-hate dilemma ordering scallops at a chinese dinner. Sweet and sour pork with fresh pineapple ($20) Deep fried pork nibblets doused in a tangy pineapple and tomato sauce which made for a super delicious dish that I can never resist ordering. Loved the wok hei and flavours put together -...

Ah Yat Kitchen at Capitol Piazza's Food Republic outlet stands out for being the casual arm of their chain of seafood restaurants. Offering affordable fare, I was piqued to find out how banquet fare would be like in a food court setting. For starters, we had table service instead of self service which was a major plus point despite the food court prices of their dishes. Plus, the dishes were nicely plated just like in their restaurant. Roasted BBQ Combination Average roasts with soggy skinned pork belly slices and fatty char siew. Lobster Claw Meat and Minced Seafood Soup Reasonably tasty starchy soup with lobster claw meat even. Stewed Whole 6 PPC Fresh Abalone with Mushrooms and Vegetables This was beginning to look alot like a chinese new year set menu with baby abalone, mushroom and greens. My only grouse is - why so few stalks of greens? Deep Fried Fish Fillet in Thai Sauce Crispy fish fritter topped with a spicy and sweet sauce, this was my favourite. Baked Salted Half ...

Having western brunches too often, I seek my Asian roots now and then. Xin Cuisine was running a promotion with Eatigo for discounted meals at their off peak timings and budget hunter me decided to give this place a go after attempting their mooncakes and having more than one memorably good dinners there. On top of their ala carte menu, there is a dim sum buffet promotion on going. $39.90 for freeflow dimsum! Shrimp Dumpling ($6) Yumcha staples with the skin tearing upon lifting - plus, it was a tad salty. Not my idea of culinary skill here. Pork Dumpling ($6) The baby abalone adornment could have justified the price tag but this was really just marginally better than the shrimp dumpling. Minced Pork and Century Egg Porridge ($5) Generous on salt once again, this salty congee was otherwise hearty breakfast for the hungry tum. Custard Bun ($6) A passe fad but a solid version of thick bun texture and molten salted egg yolk filling. Slurp! Foie Gras Dumpling ($6.80) A sweet dough frit...

Despite not being impressed with the hosted dinner at Wanhao , we returned shortly after for a family dinner - in the dining hall, without a specified server nor plated dishes. Which was really fine by us since that makes dining more casual and intimate. Deep Fried Prawn, Black Truffle Mayonnaise, Broccoli ($35) Perfumed with a black truffles, these deep fried prawns were on the sweet side and was more of a fragrance teaser than an oral satisfaction. Stick with the pumpkin sauce prawns I'd say. Wok Fried Beef Tenderloin, Black Garlic Sauce, Shitake Mushroom ($38) Another dish that was attempted in similar fashion the last meal except this time round, the beef cubes were sous vide prefectly to a medium - lovely pink and juiciness. Pork Ribs, Mandarin Orange Sauce ($36) Sticky ribs glazed with a delectable mandarin orange sauce that turned the tables on the usual coffee or honey ribs. Loved the glaze and ratio of fat and meat in each bone, one dish worth getting your fingers dirty...