西山拉麵的魔力 - 札幌元祖北海道拉麵

六月上旬.炎熱

今天,又來ifc對面的札幌元祖北海道拉麵吃午餐. 看見幫趁了超過十年的店滿堂賓客,看來港人已逐步走出日本菜核污染事故的陰霾.自從上次吃縵魚飯出事後,這次決定要聽話,吃回它的首本名菜-拉麵.但夏天吃熱湯麵有點辛苦自己,看見牆上貼著有夏日限定的秘制冷麵,來一個消暑最好.

魔鬼與你同慶賀

有友人生日,思前想後,最終在美心買來一個朱古力味的魔鬼蛋糕同慶賀.

戚風形的蛋糕表面有一朕厚厚的朱古力忌廉,裡面的雪芳蛋糕也是朱古力味道的,加上灑在表面的可可脆脆,總共有三重可可,味道和質感都很豐富.如果將其熱量亦一併計算在內,這蛋糕是名符其實的'魔鬼'....不過濃郁的蛋糕併著醇厚的忌廉,加上能與友人一同慶祝生日,齊齊分享其美味,魔鬼也抵擋不了!

這魔鬼蛋糕並未用上法國麵粉意大利雞蛋,用最高濃度的瑞士可可,也不是由五星級甜品大師鑒製,甚至只是連鎖出品,但相信這生日蛋糕背後醞含的意義,和壽星及一班友人同享,才是這蛋糕吃來更覺味美的原因.

再一次希望,生日的都會好快樂!

魔鬼蛋糕
http://www.maxims.com.hk/tc/main.asp

一鴦酸醒夢中人@聯華茶餐廳

六月上旬.炎熱

因為工作關係,最近早上都在正街一帶覓食.很久沒去聯華茶餐廳,就來回一次帶吧!

進入極具懷舊味的茶餐廳,在現在很少有的閣樓坐下-這裡雖然樓底比較矮,但有一個空位可以直望樓下,對著吊扇的位置更是開揚和風涼水冷. 與阿姐點了一杯熱鴛鴦(少奶)和菠蘿飽,聽著她步下樓梯向水吧大聲重複order,感覺是說不出的親切.等了一會,阿姐居然是口裡咬著包的捧著和送上食物!

這裡和西環另一老牌茶餐廳-祥香園不同,是沒自設餅房的,所有在櫥窗的蛋撻雞尾飽都是從鄰近餅店買來,新鮮度和獨特性自然大 減.這次吃到的菠蘿飽先叮嚀要切開一半,送來的居然是每半都轉了180度的背對背,看來還真像一隻蝴蝶.加上面前的熱鴛鴦,和對著它發呆,還在發夢的人, 怎了,今天弄出一個'鴛鴦蝴蝶夢'來?

其實從前吃過這裡的菠蘿飽是不錯的,但這'蝴蝶飽'居然是非常之硬,毫不軟淑,上面的菠蘿皮也是實淨而不鬆脆,和普通麵包舖的都差太遠(街口法國餅店的都比這靚仔!),就別拿名牌餅店如金華或壇島的出品來比較了.

飽不行.就連杯鴛鴦也水準下降,一飲居然是酸的?!完全沒有丁點兒奶香味(雖然叫了少奶但還應該有點點奶味吧),咖啡底還真的是酸得不得了,完全不香,濃的是酸味,連喝下去的勁也沒有,餘下半杯收場.唯一多謝的就是它真的醒神,盡了作為'咖啡因飲品'的最起碼要求.

'一鴦酸醒夢中人',這在一老牌茶記出現,還是'細細個就聽過呢個名'的街坊茶檔,真是特別另人失望又感到無限唏噓-兒時的美味,是否只能在記憶中回味?

聯華茶餐廳
G/F., 28 Central St,, Western District

As Easy As ABCs - ABC Kitchen

Early June (Sunny)

ABC Kitchen might be just a stall among the many at Queen Street hawker centre in Sheung Wan, and yes, it might look odd to you,having to share space with its neighbour Tsang Kee, a well-known Chiuchowese stall selling Chiuchewese 'Kwe's, but it is a stall with big dreams. It serves dishes usually served only in more 'authentic' western restaurants; it lines tables with checked tableclothes; and it cooks good food. Like seriously good ones. I was lucky enough to be invited to a foodies' gathering to taste some of its specialties, including the signature roasted suckling pig.

To be honest, I ate there once a year ago and the meal was on the negative side. The food was okay but they failed to 'wow' me. Yet since they change their menu on a regular basis, lets see if the food tonight would make me go 'wow'.

Thanks to the foodies who brought along some fine bottles of wine and also juices. They had certainly helped to push up the atmosphere of the night a lot!：）

After ordering, we were served with three baskets of herb buns. I remembered they baked their own bread. They turned out to be worse than what i had last time, being completely tasteless. They smelt great of herbs but you could hardly detect it with your tastebud. The only 'up' side was that it was at least nicely toasted instead of cool and stone-hard. The butter that came with it tasted bland, so bland that i thought it was plain oil or salt-free margarine! What a bad beginning of the feast i was so looking forward to.

Then came the Avocado-crabmeat Gazpacho. It was a new dish to me as i had not had chilled soup before.

It was quite a scene when five big bowls of soups hit the table almost the same time-they basically took up every inch of it! Anyway, we shared one among two persons so the portion was cut half (much more reasonable then). The soup was thick in texture and there were lumps of vegetable mushes in the orange soup, garnished with drops of olive oil and chives, and in the midst was a heap of crab meat mixed with avocado. I dont usually eat avocado but i felt justified to do so cus of the crab meat! Upon mixing the meat into the soup it gave it a creamy white tint. The soup was not exactly smooth but was pretty strong in flavour, and thank god it was chilled or else it would be painful to drink in the hot summer! Somehow it reminded me of the tomato sauce of tinned sardine fish - perhaps they shared similar ingredients. The crabmeat was creamy and fresh. Delicious!

Next was the Salt Cod Cake with Seared Scallops - basically a fish croquette  with a petite salad.

I like how the croquette was full of flakes of cod meat instead of mixed with annoying mashed potatoes, unlike the Portuguese bacalhau or the Japanese potato croquette. It tasted nice of seafood but was quite bland in texture. The dipping didnt help. It would be better if it was mixed with some chopped pickles or onion. The scallops was quite bland on its own but if you eat it with the cod cake, the blandness of the fish would make the freshness of the scallops more outstanding. So i guess that's how different ingredients compliment each other - although more could be done.

Next came the suckling pig. They presented us the whole pig only for photographic purpose, and brought it back to a full finish.

Four big plates of suckling pig and roasted beets and potatoes, the most anticipated dish of the night, finally came.

The pig (Roasted Suckling Pig served on a Roast of Red Beets and Kipfler Potato, according to the menu) was good - like really good. The skin was roasted to achieve absolute crispiness and they cracked loudly, but you could see oil rushing out under the skin. But who cares? :P The skin was as crispy as potato chips, only much better flavoured and juicy. Even the meat was very, very tender and flavourful. Flakes of the meat resembled smoked and pulled pork but they were less salty of course. The roasted beet was extremely juicy and sweet, while the potato was pretty mushy yet not too filling. Yet one serve of the pig was big and I stopped at one and a half piece for bodyweight's sake - although i craved for more!

Next was the seafood paella,a discontinued dish only prepared upon special request - i must have done something good to get to try this:D:D I had not had paella but risotto before, and it was slightly different from what I had in my mind. A different kind of rice was use, being slightly longer in grain than the short and fat Arborio rice in risotto; the texture was also less creamy but equally rich. The yellowish rice had a strong flavour of seafood and was very aromatic-was it because of the saffron?  I especially like the bits of juicy and oily sausages which were very,very tasty! The grilled seafood were also nice - i think ABC is especially good at grilling stuff as the grilled prawn had a charcoal-roast smell which i like. The rest of the seafood were also fresh and lovely - what a pity that i was already full halfway through the meal!

How do you call the time after entrees? Dessert time - the second-most exciting time of the night.  Five desserts were available and we had one of each, so I - a greedy foodie - could try them all - muhahhahahahaha!

Rhubarb Cheesecake - rhubarb is something i am unfamiliar with, but i had tried a rhubarb yogurt which was really sour (and i ended up throwing it away), so i was reluctant to try the dessert. It turned out to be different from what I had anticipated. The cheesecake tasted like tofu cheesecake, being more moist, equally packed in texture but less heavy when compared to American cream cheesecakes. The rhubarb compote was not really sour, but i would substitute it with other fruits as it was, surprisingly, quite bland. A strawberry compote would go better with the cheesecake. What i liked best was the base made of digestive biscuits, being buttery and crumby. That's how a nice cake base should be like - contrast this with that in the espresso cheesecake at Green!

Chocolate mousse look modest and simple: yet it tasted more than it seemed to be. The mousse was rich of cocoa flavour and mixed with bits of crunches, enriching the texture (unlike the boring cod cake). The raspberries on top helped balance the sweetness and heaviness. It was DELICIOUS!

Creme Brulee is my newly discovered lover, as i usually preferred cheese- or chocolate- based desserts over egg-based ones. This had a nicely flamed caramel top which cracked as the spoon hit, but it could be even thinner. The custard was rich of egg and cream - slightly richer than what i liked, and one spoonful was enough for me. Luckily we shared it among a big crowd!

Grand Marnier Souffle - I am not really fond of hot souffles but gave it a try anyway. The texture was spongy but not light enough; there were still grains of sugar in it, too large and detectable to be my like. The flavour was not strong enough too, and one could easily mistaken it for an orange souffle.

Last was the Pavlova - an enormous heap of meringue topped with lots of fresh fruits and passion fruit sauce. I tried this dessert once or twice before at Wildfire and they were quite dry and tough. This was a lot different as it was not only softer but also less sweet. The exterior was just a little crispy, and the interior was relatively more spongy and light. Passion fruit sauce was the perfect sauce to it as any other would be too heavy to go with the light pavlova - and i enjoyed how the seeds of passion fruit cracked in my mouth. Together with the fresh fruits it was the perfect end to the feast at ABC's Kitchen.

Has the meal changed my impression on this little stall at Queen Street hawkers' centre? Definitely. Generally speaking, what i tasted that night were better than those i had a year ago, the pig in particular. It is now literally A Better Cooking Kitchen, and i really appreciate how it updates and refines its menu regularly. Even better if it would improve on its homemade herb buns, and keep the delicious seafood paella and dessert tasting platter on its menu please - they are definitely too nice to be discontinued! :)

ABC Kitchen
Shop 7, Food Market, 1 Queen Street , Sheung Wan
Mon-Sat: 12:00-14:30, 18:30-22:00
Sun: 18:30-22:00
***Reservation recommended:9278 8227***

沒有海景的海景軒

要先感謝食友的邀請出席飯聚,令我這有很少機會試中菜廳但又為食的人可以嘗試一下新地方.這次來到尖沙咀的海景軒,在受邀後才發現原來也是獲米芝蓮一星的中菜廳,無知如我可真是井底之蛙!
這中菜廳位於酒店的地庫,裝修走點華麗路線,但樓底真的很矮!幸好枱與枱也有一定距離,也因為分了上下兩半層,所以私隱得以保留.除了預訂的富貴雞外,還一人點了一個菜,四人吃四個菜,應該很足夠的了.

首先來的是鮮明蝦窩貼,其實就是蝦多士.

之前在港大同學會吃到很高水準的蝦多士,所以對這裡的有一定期望.這裡的賣相似曾相識,起雙飛的蝦肉已經去尾,上面以火腿和香葉裝飾,彈牙鮮甜,加點淮鹽更是再吊出鮮味.比例上細小的多士炸得香脆,但不油膩,炸得剛好.不過始終是油炸食品,還是輕嘗就好.

再來的是富貴雞.這個菜一定要預訂,菜單上也找不到,加上其半圓形的泥巴包裹,一拿出來已吸引不少同場食客的目光.

師傅先邀請我們用縋子敲碎包裹,然後就由他處理.脫掉泥巴外殼就是錫紙包,錫紙裡再包住荷葉和雞隻.

侍應先讓我們拍放在荷葉包內的完整雞隻,再幫我們去骨.

雞肉再端上枱面時已是一絲絲的,混合了本來釀在雞隻內的菇,瑤柱和湯汁,用羹一'畢'即成,非常方便.雞肉當然是燜煮得極度軟稔,味道濃郁,一絲絲的肉用羹吃得叫人滿足.加上已經吸收了雞肉味,但又滲出朕朕酒香和栗子香的湯汁,每一口都鮮甜濃郁,實在叫人忍不住直接當燉湯喝,又或者豪邁的直接用來撈飯吃,風味想必更佳!不過一隻雞份量始終比較大,價錢也不算便宜(五百多),建議多點人來吃就剛剛好.
吃著富貴雞,其他兩味菜也送到-肉的是蜜梅京燒骨,素的是一口豆腐.

蜜梅京燒骨是以酸甜汁炆煮排骨而成,汁是杰杰的,但已然能夠掛在每一塊排骨上面,不會汁還汁肉還肉.排骨醃得入味,也煎煮得剛好,不會油膩不但之還充滿肉汁,熱辣辣時吃還有爆汁之嫌;排骨塊塊外脆內軟,粒粒芝麻炒得香脆,加上平衡肥膩感的粒狀哈密瓜,這道菜整體是惹味和偏濃味的,但並不覺肥膩.


口袋豆腐則是以腐皮包裹切碎的冬菇和各種菜蔬,質感有爽有稔的很是豐富,也美味.但口袋本身拌以杰身的獻汁,加上腐皮不算薄,整體有一點過份heavy的感覺,如果腐皮可以薄一點,又或者獻汁可以清新輕怡一點,那就更完美了.
吃完主菜,侍應遞上甜品單,內容都是常見的楊枝金露,中式糖水那些,比較特別的有狀元煎茶粿(好一個響亮的名字,哈哈!),加上食友推薦,也就點了來試試.

煎茶粿比想像中的小,米白色的外皮只有底部是煎香脆的,上面的則保持像蒸過的滑,還有小小的裝飾,呈稜形的剎是好看!望來漂亮,吃下來卻有點失望,因為本來預計作為甜品的應該是甜的,但餡料卻是咸的韮菜,豬肉等等,加上煙膩的外皮,更加像茶樓的咸水角,只不過這個是半煎煮成.味道是好的,只不過和我想像中有分別而已.

吃完四大碟,一邊喝解膩的熱中國一邊閒聊,可真輕鬆又舒服.這裡內在環境真不錯,唯一就是樓底真的有點矮.又,其實才館是望不到海景的(至少大堂真的望不了),那為何取過這樣的名字呢?
撇開這個迷思不說,是晚吃到的都有一定水準,尤以京燒骨最得我心.再一次多謝食友邀請.:)

ps.飯聚並未結束,我國在這裡吃完後,再到了一間最近全城熱烘烘的酒店走-下-場....

海景軒 Hoi King Heen
B2, InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong, 70 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui