Food Diary August [Hong Kong Part II]

There is infact a Hong Kong Food Diary Part II, because I extended my trip... as well as the overall circumference of my mid-section. (See Part I here)

Not leaving you just yet, Hong Kong.

Chiu Hing Noodle House 潮興魚蛋粉

Time: 8pm, Wednesday

Place: Chiu Hing Noodle House 潮興魚蛋粉

481 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Handmade fishballs.

Australian Dairy Company 澳洲牛奶公司

Time: 4pm, Sunday

Place: 47-49 Parkes St, Yau Ma Tei

Gundams in Times Square

Note: Not edible.

Kozy

Time: 4am (also featured in last month's Food Diary)

Place: Kozy 9/F Circle Plaza, 499 Hennessy Road, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2591 1281

With pals Chris and Brian for late night okonomiyaki.

Oysters.

Ginza Bairin 

Time: 8:30pm

Place: Ginza Bairin Central, 

Shop 3013 Level 3, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street Tel: 2295 1112

Jang! Mameshiba!

Fuel Espresso

Time: Daily 5pm

Place: Fuel Espresso, Shop 3023, IFC, Central. 港景街1號國際金融中心3023號舖, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2295 3815

Causeway Bay street meat

Hello siew mai and curry fish balls.

Sorabol 新羅寶

Time: 9pm

Place: Sorabol, Shop B, 18/F, Lee Theatre Plaza, 99 Percival Street, Causeway Bay

Tel: +(852) 2881-6823

One of my favorite Korean restaurants in Hong Kong.

Shung Hing Chiu Chow Seafood Restaurant 尚興潮州飯店

Time: 8:30pm

Place: 37 Queens Road West, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

My family dines here quite often.  The satay beef noodles and marinated goose are amongst our favorite dishes.

Le Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon

Time: 5pm

Place: Le Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon, Shop 2045A, Podium Level 2, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong +(852) 2234-7422

A nice spot for tea if you have a sweet tooth.  The pastries and desserts were great.  The savories were lacking in both taste and creativity.

Tim Ho Wan 添好運

Time: 8pm

Place: Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station (Podium Level 1, IFC Mall) , Central

Tel: +(852) 2332-3078

Sorely disappointed.  Michelin star, what?

Overrated by far.  If there aren't any queues and you want all day dim sum, then Tim Ho Wan is a reasonable choice.  But the actual quality of the items are at best, mediocre, compared to the thousands of other options in Hong Kong.

Superfood: Chia Seeds

Courtesy of Alvin Tan of LifeStyle Fitness.  Have you heard about the latest "superfood"?

Directions: Soak the seeds overnight, then drink the seeds in cup full of water or in your protein shake in the morning.  The seeds are tasteless.

10 Reasons to add Chia Seeds to your Diet

Combat Diabetes
Chia is being studied as a potential natural treatment for type-2 diabetes because of its ability to slow down digestion. The gelatinous coating chia seeds develops when exposed to liquids-can also prevent blood sugar spikes.

Get More Fibre
Just a 28-gram or one-ounce serving of chia has 11 grams of dietary fibre — about a third of the recommended daily intake for adults. Adding some chia to your diet is an easy way to make sure you're getting a good amount of fibre, which is important for digestive health.

Stock Up On Omega-3
Chia seeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, with nearly five grams in a one-ounce serving. These fats are important for brain health. "There's better conversion of omega 3s into the plasma or into the food than with flax seed," said researcher Wayne Coates.

Stronger Teeth And Bones
A serving of chia seeds has 18 per cent of the recommended daily intake for calcium, which puts your well on your way to maintaining bone and oral health, and preventing osteoporosis.

Don't Forget Manganese
Manganese isn't a well-known nutrient, but it's important for our health: it's good for your bones and helps your body use other essential nutrients like biotin and thiamin. One serving of chia seeds, or 28 grams, has 30 per cent of your recommended intake of this mineral.

Plenty Of Phosphorus
With 27 per cent of your daily value for phosphorus, chia seeds also helps you maintain healthy bones and teeth. Phosphorus is also used by the body to synthesize protein for cell and tissue growth and repair.

Pack In The Protein
Chia seeds also make a great source of protein for vegetarians and don't have any cholesterol. One 28-gram serving of these super seeds has 4.4 grams of protein, nearly 10 per cent of the daily value.

Fight Belly Fat
Chia's stabilizing effect on blood sugar also fights insulin resistance which can be tied to an increase in belly fat, according to Live Strong. This type of resistance can also be harmful for your overall health.

Get Full. Faster
Tryptophan, an amino acid found in turkey, is also found in chia seeds. While tryptophan is responsible for that strong urge to nap after a big Thanksgiving dinner for example, it also helps regulate appetite, sleep and improve mood.

Improve Heart Health
According to the Cleveland Clinic, chia seeds have been shown to improve blood pressure in diabetics, and may also increase healthy cholesterol while lowering total, LDL, and triglyceride cholesterol. All good news for your ticker!

Zalora x River Island [Event]

. SPONSORED POST .

River Island stores in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia were closed, but have returned exclusively via e-commerce site ZALORA.  Last week on Friday the 13th, Zalora celebrated this with an ultra Brit-themed launch party at MINI Habitat.

Thanks Zalora x River Island for asking Gastronommy.com to join.  Thanks to the sweet stylist Paul dela Merced and PR Xiaomin Chew of Zalora for dressing me for the event; and thanks to MINI for picking me up in the ultra cute MINI Coupé (I have a soft spot for MINI's, being my first car back in the day).  Other Zalora-dressed guest VIPs included Rich Herrera, Dawn Yang, Anita Kapoor, Alicia Pan, Shan Wee, Cheryl Miles, Paul Foster, Yvette King, and more.

I picked up an Xevana necklace to wear with River Island's selected outfit.

With the lovely Yvette King of Tanjong Bazaar.

On Victoria: Red Turtleneck Skater Dress | Sling Back Leather Shoes

On Yvette: Cami Top | Tribal Print Pencil Skirt | Leopard Print Leather Pumps

One of my other favorite outfits is here on this model.

Blue Crop Jumper | Skater Skirt | Stud Embellished Shoes

The full ZALORA-curated River Island collection has been launched here: http://www.zalora.sg/river-island-singapore/

Food Diary August [Hong Kong Part I]

It's been a while since I've done a Food Diary update.  I've had so many lovely eats this short trip though, so here goes:

The Boathouse
Time: 6pm, Sunday
Place: The Boathouse
88 Stanley Street, Stanley, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2813 4467

Seafood bucket over sunset.  Mussels, prawns, clams, beer and good company.

Wah Lam Noodle Restaurant 華南粉麵茶餐廳 
Time: 2am, Monday

Place: Wah Lam Noodle Restaurant 華南粉麵茶餐廳 

G/F & 1/F, 5-11 Thomson Rd, Wan Chai 

Tel: +852 2527 2478

Thanks for dragging me for late night supper, Alex.  It was worth the calories.  The beef brisket noodles are 2am divine.

Cafe Gray Deluxe

Time: 1pm, Monday

Place: Cafe Gray Deluxe

The Upper House 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong 

Tel: +852 3968 1106

Day or night, the ambiance and view from Upper House's Cafe Gray Deluxe always leaves me feeling like Hong Kong is the best place in the world.

Wah Lam Noodle Restaurant 華南粉麵茶餐廳 (again)

Time: 9pm, Monday
Place: Wah Lam Noodle Restaurant 華南粉麵茶餐廳 
G/F & 1/F, 5-11 Thomson Rd, Wan Chai 
Tel: +852 2527 2478

Round two, to go.  This time, I wanted to try the curry beef.  Wah Lam hits the spot again.

One Thirty-One

Time: 8:30pm, Tuesday

Place: One Thirty-One

131 Tseng Tau Village Shap Sze Heung, New Territories

Tel: +852 2791-2684

Romantic spot in Sai Kung, but the journey from Central is seriously a pain... we had the additional misfortune of our cab blowing a flat along the way.  I'd recommend One Thirty-One for a day time visit, since nothing but the small interior of the building is visible at night.  The view during the day includes a waterfront and an expansive manicured lawn.  Not to mention that the dinner menu costs a pretty penny (6-course prix fixe menu for two is HKD$2400++ vs lunch 4-course prix fixe for two HKD$1200++).

One Thirty-One's strengths are in using the simplest techniques to allow the integrity of the produce to shine through (baby beetroots with smoked rosemary cake, quail, Australian wagyu). The dishes that kept the main produce whole and intact without much fussing with modern kitchen toys, allowed for a focus on the complexity and pairing of the natural flavors of the ingredients.

On the other hand, we found the dishes with too much "play" led to sub-par dishes (e.g. monkfish served in minced, repacked form resulted in a dense, dry, crumbly texture without much flavor—not qualities I look for in fish).  Dinner remained interesting throughout since each dish in the 6-course was vastly different from one another, each using different techniques and different ingredients.  For the oenophilist, the wine list was also rather limited and not meant for pairing.

Caviar with potato hot & cold

Baby beets with rosemary, mozzarella, berry balsamic

Monkfish with cauliflower 3 ways, truffle, sherry vinegar

Tea-smoked quail with peach, miso, eggplant

Wagyu with sweet corn, black garlic, broccolini, puffed rice

Mint pot with guanaja cremeux, mint sherbert, hazelnut soil

Hong Kong Food Diary August Part II next.