Food: The Search For Great Hong Kong-style French Toast -- Part 5

Double-deckered Hong Kong-style French toast
Image from Locky's English Playground

So one day my wife, baby Muse and I went to this modern retro-Hong Kong cafe which I honestly considered nothing more than gimmick, sat down because we had had too much of Fairwood for tea and ordered Swiss wings and French toast.

Law Mark Kee @ Kornhill
Image from Locky's English Playground

Never expected anything from Law Mark Kee despite the constant full-houseness at dinner time and their good-selling signature breadloaf chicken rice on most tables, I just don't understand the attraction.

Awesome thickness
Image from Locky's English Playground

But when the toast arrived, I was shocked, not only by the size but by the gorgeous look. Never thought a tab of round butter would look so pretty on a square-shape toast. Makes me think wonder why no other cafe has ever done this before.  There was no sight of a syrup dispenser, just a plate with prefilled syrup. Not sure if this is the way I like it though.

Peanut buttery goodness
Image from Locky's English Playground

Once it was cut, there was my second shock. My cholesterol detector immediately signaled that siren in respond to that ample peanut butter filling! Way too much for one person to devour unless one is looking forward to his first atherosclerosis diagnosis confirmation, maybe so even for two.

Distinctive layers
Image from Locky's English Playground

But some will say,  it is the cholesterol that gives its flavour. I will have to agree with this point but for just this once. That look, those distinctive inter-ply of syrup, toast and peanut butter, possessed that magic of devilish forgiveness which made you forget all sins and guilt from breaking away your low-carb high fibre eating routine.


Scores:
Look:            ★★★★★ 5/5
Taste:            ★★★★★ 5/5
Smell:            ★★★☆☆ 3/5
Textures:       ★★★★★ 5/5
Temperature: ★★★★★ 5/5
Overall:         ★★★★★ 23/25


Resources:
Food: The Search For Great Hong Kong-style French Toast -- Part 1 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/12/food-search-for-great-french-toast-part.html

Food: The Search For Great Hong Kong-style French Toast -- Part 2 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/01/food-search-for-great-hong-kong-style.html

Food: The Search For Great Hong Kong-style French Toast -- Part 3 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/01/food-search-for-great-hong-kong-style_18.html

Food: The Search For Great Hong Kong-style French Toast -- Part 4 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/02/food-search-for-great-hong-kong-style.html

Food & Dining: Best Rice Congee in Quarry Bay

Not just any rice congee
Image from Locky's English Playground

I was never a congee person, whether that has anything to do with my childhood memory horror is something I cannot confirm, but this congee shop in Quarry Bay has brought a kind of gluttony I had never experienced before.

Dine in queue and takeout queue
Image from Locky's English Playground

It is not usual to see queues outside a congee shop, this is one rare exception.

Menus on the wall
Image from Locky's English Playground

 Menus are all on the wall, no English though, so you have to memorise those Cantonese food names of your choice.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Price-wise, it is not the cheapest but more tha fair for what you will be getting.

Panoramic view outside the shop
Image from Locky's English Playground

5 orders
Image from Locky's English Playground

So what have I got? For this occasion, I bought pig's blood congee and deep-fried youtiao rice roll for my wife, and beef congee, fried noodles and plain rice rolls for myself.

Beef congee and pig's blood congee
Image from Locky's English Playground

Just like all other types of food, there are dozens of ways to cook just one. This congee is knowing as the "raw-cooked" type, meaning that the congee is cooked from rice form to its congee form entirely on flame, not by electric stove and definitely not rice cooker.

Well, it is not as green and it is not so good in terms of carbon emission, but the texture -- that perfect, inseparable blend of molten rice and water, together with the ingredients added to the boiling only after you place the order, is unbeatable on a cold winter day.

Fried soy sauce noodles
Image from Locky's English Playground

The fried noodles with bean sprouts was done so well that there is not one bit of burnt on one noodle, as opposed to most others.

Zaa loeng -- Youtiao rice rolls
Image from Locky's English Playground

炸兩 (Cantonese: Zaa3 Loeng5), literally meaning "Fried Twice", aka Youtiao rice rolls, are oh-so-tremendous!! You get crispiness of the Youtiao, you get that bread-like softness in the middle, and you get that elasticity of the rice roll that bonds so well to it's inner crunch. It is served with soy sauce, sweet sauce and chili sauce but in my humble opinion, you can have it without all those and still get that smile of satisfaction.

Plain rice rolls
Image from Locky's English Playground

Last but not least, the plain rice rolls, which has basically the same chewiness as the Youtiao rice rolls, but because of their compactness,  you'll find a multi-layered bite in them.

The best part about these two dishes is, they are excellent when hot and still delicious when cold.

Do you me any good other good congee shops? Leave a comment below.



Vocabulary:
gluttony -- (n) [U] disapproving when people eat and drink more than they need to
youtiao -- (n)[C] also known as the Chinese cruller, Chinese oil stick, Chinese doughnut, and fried breadstick,[citation needed] is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of dough eaten in China and (by a variety of other names) in other East and Southeast Asian cuisines. Conventionally, youtiao are lightly salted and made so they can be torn lengthwise in two. Youtiao are normally eaten at breakfast as an accompaniment for rice congee or soy milk.


Resources:
Youtiao @Wikpedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youtiao

炸兩 (Cantonese: Zaa3 Loeng5) @Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhaliang

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-chinese-traditional/gluttony?q=gluttony+

Food and Dining: Old Place -- Amazing Chicken Pot Hot Pot @ North Point

TV outside the restaurant showing price and TV show
Image from Locky's English Playground

Winter, the season for hot comfy, the time when every Hong Konger flood to reserve tables at hot pot restaurants. Some are so popular that reservation has to be made at least a month earlier.

Name in Chinese
Image from Locky's English Playground

So what if I didn't plan for a hot pot dinner before hand? What I'd I suddenly feel like having hot pot? Usually I will prepare for hot pot at home, its cosy and free (as in freedom).

Order form
Image from Locky's English Playground

But one day I wanted something different, something new for my wife, so we searched Openrice and found this great restaurant called Old Place in North Point.

Panoramic view from inside the restaurant
Image from Locky's English Playground

The huge glass walls are brilliant and rare for a restaurant on ground floor. Usually there are stickers to cover parts of the seats but there is none for this place. Some might think there is a lack of privacy, I actually like it this way, feels like we were having dinner on the streets like the Tai Pai Doong style in Hong Kong.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Appetizers are long beans, wood ears and spicy cucumber, all quite tasty, but are incomparable with what was to come.

Staff is stir-frying spicy chicken
Image from Locky's English Playground

Staff came with a large metal pot, removed the lid and there it was a gush of hot spicy chili vapour onto my face.

Spicy chicken pot
Image from Locky's English Playground

When the vapour cleared, goldenness appeared...

Close up
Image from Locky's English Playground

...and immediately there was too much saliva to hold in the mouth. For me, because we ordered "light" spiciness for the chicken to suit my wife's taste, I can focus more on its richness. Although the chicken might not be fresh chicken, it did taste really fresh. The mixture for marination had done an excellent job in bringing up that chickeny flavour. Ingredients which we could see are onions, chili and parsley, but the secret lied deep in the sauce and it was not for us to know. All I can say about this chicken pot is that it is the best I have ever had, EVER!!! And if I have a chance to try "strong" spiciness, I will.

The first order
Image from Locky's English Playground

After finishing the chicken pot, the pot is used for hot pot and the chicken pot sauce left in it is used as the soup base after adding broth.

The food in the order list is pretty standard, but considering the price we paid -- $168 per head with free-flowing soft drinks/beer, there should be little room for complaints.

Beef, chicken, fish balls, dumplings, sausages and beef balls
Image from Locky's English Playground

Honestly speaking, the food were not bad at all, everything has reached a level of decency, freshness is definitely there.

Dried fish skin
Image from Locky's English Playground

Variety is a little wider than the usual selection, but if you are looking for something spectacular, particularly the seafood, then this may not be the right place for you.

Various mushrooms and corn
Image from Locky's English Playground

That being said, they did not say you cannot bring in your own purchase of seafood, so judging by the price you paid and the non-restricted dining duration, and the immense quality of the chicken pot, this is definitely a great place for rendezvous!

Newsletter from the restaurant
Images from Locky's English Playground

Oh, and the restaurant is not actually a hot pot restaurant for the entire day. In the morning, it is a place for Hong Kong breakfast, in the afternoon it is a bit of Szechuanese and a bit of Shanghainese, tea time it is a bit of American and a bit of Hong Kong, then to hot pot at night.

EV charger at AIA Tower car park @ North Point

What I would like it to have though, is free parking at the AIA Tower car park next door upon spending. The car park entrance is large and the parking spaces are big, there are 2 EV charging spots but chargers can only be activated by the car park staff, so EV drivers must call that number on the charger and wait for the staff to come with a fob to activate the charger for you.

Important left turn you don't want to miss
Image from Google Map

If you are driving to park in AIA Tower car park, be sure you don't miss the left turn on Electric Road into Fook Yum Road as shown in the street view above, otherwise, you will have to drive a long way to get back to this entrance to the car park


Vocabulary:
rendezvous -- (n)[C] plural rendezvous an arrangement to meet someone, especially secretly, at a particular place and time, or the place itself; a place where a particular group of people often go or meet, by arrangement or habit



Resources:
Old Place 老地坊小館 @Openrice
http://www.openrice.com/en/hongkong/restaurant/north-point-old-place/163099?tc=sr1

Google Map Street View
http://goo.gl/cO6OXQ

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-chinese-traditional/rendezvous?q=rendezvous+

Food, Travelling & Living: Food And Fun Of Okinawa -- Day 5

Various sushi at unbelievable price
Image from Locky's English Playground

We decided not to have any more Lawson for breakfast so we drive to the nearest AEON supermarket hoping to grab some delicious bites. The sushi looked amazing and we're very cheap, but we weren't too used to having raw fish for breakfast so we passed that chance.

Interesting ice creams
Image from Locky's English Playground

The types of ice cream not sold in Hong Kong accounted for almost 95%. I would have loved to send back boxes of them gone if they weren't so easy to melt.

And you think only Apolo has monoka?
Image from Locky's English Playground

Coin counter
Image from Locky's English Playground
Every cashier comes with a coin counting machine that does the tedious job. It's quick and accurate! And Hong Kong should adopt this tech.

Breakfast menu in McDonald's
Image from Locky's English Playground

In the end, we settled for McDonald's, which was not a bad idea considering that the food sold in McDonald's differs from culture to culture, so having an Okinawa McDonald's breakfast must be some sort of experience.

Our breakfast
Image from Locky's English Playground

And here is our choice. And as you can see, my phone is almost enjoying its electron juice on the right.

McDonald's hotdog
Image from Locky's English Playground

Since everywhere in Okinawa you can see land used by the U.S. Army (except that you don't see the soldiers at all), you will expect lots of American food, and here is a McDonald's hot dog.

Sweet McMuffin!
Image from Locky's English Playground

This sweet McMuffin tastes nice too! Sweet because of the raisin buns.

Sweet potato ice cream!
Image from Locky's English Playground

After breakfast, we went back to the supermarket for some ice cream, one of which we can never miss is the famous sweet potato ice cream .

Pretty girl candies?
Image from Locky's English Playground

This one struck me as a very intriguing product, not only they are advertising through cute girl group, but together with the name of the product as well, "Pop'n bubble". Seriously?

Photo booth
Image from Locky's English Playground

This may look like a normal photo booth to most people, but take a closer look now,

Image from Locky's English Playground

and you'll see it isn't any ordinary photobooth, you can modify instantly and get the best our of yourself, how cool is that? People beg to have one of these in Hong Kong as they all cursed the ugliness of official passport photo-taking booth, showing more blemishes than beauty, if there is any left.

Image from Locky's English Playground

After eating and eating, my wife and I met up with the big group at GE to do our final shopping. I came across this pair of baseball boots and realised that it was in fact the first time in my life to see such a boot! Those blades are crazy! Imagine if that was used for football?

Great deal!
Image from Locky's English Playground

For soccer, I will only use soccer boots. And I have yet to go for anything higher than HK$400. Guess who much this pair of Nike from Okinawa cost? It's HK$130!!!! I have got to buy them!

Face cover inside fitting room
Image from Locky's English Playground

I have also bought one soccer training jersey, and while trying it on inside fitting room I found this very nice gesture of free face covers for those who are afraid of losing their make-up or colouring their collars. How cool is that?

Okinawa departure hall
Image from Locky's English Playground

Overall, I love the Japanese's people's manner. They care about every need you have from head to toe, drivers stop their car the moment you flash those cornering lamps to let you switch lanes, ice-creams are the best. The bonito soup is mesmerizing!

A card I picked up at the airport
Image from Locky's English Playground

And then I picked up this card at the Hong Kong International Airport, and as usual, I did my part as a regular human being would, and I got this:

I hope the tag to Hong Kong International Airport will trigger more audience from around the world to see this on Facebook, because this kind of behaviour and manner is what makes Hong Kong a poor city.



Vocabulary:
blemish -- (n)[C] a mark on something that spoils its appearance
mesmerising -- (adj) very attractive, in a mysterious way, making you want to keep looking:


Resources:

Food, Travelling & Living: Food And Fun Of Okinawa -- Day 4 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2014/12/food-travelling-living-food-and-fun-of_30.html

Food, Travelling & Living: Food And Fun Of Okinawa -- Day 3 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2014/12/food-travelling-living-food-and-fun-of_22.html

Food, Travelling & Living: Food And Fun Of Okinawa -- Day 2 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2014/12/food-travelling-living-food-and-fun-of_15.html

Food, Travelling & Living: Food And Fun Of Okinawa -- Day 1 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2014/12/food-travelling-living-food-and-fun-of.html

Cornering Lamps @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_lighting#Cornering_lamps

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-chinese-traditional/blemish_1?q=blemish+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/mesmerizing