[Hong Kong] La Vache!

If you like steak, la vache! is a decent option in Central, Hong Kong.  The price is fair and the quality is good.  

Spring Scream (春吶), Kenting, Taiwan (April 2015)

For some reason, attending Spring Scream in Kenting (墾丁) has always been on my bucket list.  It's like Lollapalooza in the US, Clockenflap in HK.  It so happened Spring Scream was happening the same week as Easter, which means, I only need to take 1 or 2 days off to enjoy a short trip!  Found cheap plane tickets with Cathay, booked my hostels, and off I went!  (Not to mention Yayoi Kusama was having an exhibition at the Kaohsiung Cultural Centre at the time!)  Taiwan is always a no brainer for me when I only have 4 or 5 days of vacation.

[Taipei] Mita Seimen (三田製麵所 阪急台北店)

Mita Seimen  (三田製麵所) is a well known tsukemen restaurants from Japan.  They recently opened a new branch in Hong Kong (February 2015).  With the even more recent addition of Tsukemen Tetsu, the line should not be horrible these days.  Luckily, I tried it when I was in Taipei and there was no queue!

Night Markets of Taipei (4): Raohe Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市)

Raohe Night Market (饒河夜市) is a very lively night market located towards the northeastern part of Taipei.  It used to be the easiest to get to via taxi u.  Now, it's super convenient to go to Raohe Night Market by metro: just get off at Songshan Station (Xindian/Songshan line).

[Paris] Le Laurent

Some of you know, the main purpose of my recent Paris trip was to attend one of my best friends' wedding.  The venue she chose to have her wedding reception was Le Laurent.  

[Paris] Frenchie Bar a Vins

Just landed Hong Kong yesterday afternoon and have to get ready for a business trip to Montreal today T_T  This is my shortest turnaround to date yet.  (Call my boss intense...)  Anyways, since I am jet-lag and unloading the pictures I have taken during my vacation, I decided to do a quick post on Frenchie Bar a Vins, which is one of the best meals I had on vacation.

[Taipei] MUME

I am truly flattered by all the recent "follows" on my Taiwan collection... your appreciation is my fuel and I will try to write as much as I can of what I have seen, tasted, and experienced in the treasure island (寶島) aka Taiwan.  (In fact, I just came back from a 3-week business trip from Taipei so I got lots to share, just not enough time...)

In the past, when I go to Taiwan, food that immediately comes to mind are local snacks, cheap food, and beef noodles!  Rarely does the word "fine dining" comes to mind.  Recently, it has been changed as a wave of modern western restaurants opened in Taipei.  The good news - most of them are quite affordable - thanks to the lower cost of living in Taiwan compared to its neighbors such as Hong Kong, Japan, etc.  I have been wanting to try MUME ever since it has opened.  The chefs' CV alone is impressive enough and there were a lot of raving reviews.  Needless to say, my expectation is high.  Verdict:  I was NOT disappointed!

[Macau] Kim's Food Korea Cafe

It's hard to keep up with the Macau dining scene sometimes.  Luckily, I have friends who kept me up to speed.  The last few months have been hectic and didn't really have time to dine out when I visit my folks back home.  Finally last weekend, my friends took me to one of the most popular Korean restaurants (among youngsters) in Taipa, Macau - Kim's Food Cafe.

Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish Omelette)

Every so often, I like to try new recipes.  To decide what I want to make, I usually look at what I have in the fridge.  That night, I had eggs, onion, and potatoes.  Immediately, I thought about making Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish Omelette).

Night Markets of Taipei (3): Shida Night Market (師大夜市)

Another night market I find myself going a lot is the Shida Night Market (師大夜市).  Compared to the other night markets, there are less food stands but it's a great night market for the ladies who love to shop!  The limited number of food stand doesn't mean the food here is bad.  In fact, quite the contrary in my opinion.

Pickled Eggplant (油漬茄子)

As my last post suggested, I am into bread making lately.  I am not a jam person, nor do i like Nutella, peanut butter, etc.   However, I love sandwiches, cold cut platters, cheeses, etc.  Immediately, I thought of a recipe book I got from the Hong Kong Book Fair last year and made one of the recipes - Pickled Eggplant.

French Bread

One of my good friends moved recently and I got her bread maker last Friday.  I put it to use immediately and so far I have made 3 breads... LOL!  Luckily, I was able to give some of the bread to my friends so I am not carb-loaded...

[Macau] Miramar (海景餐廳)

One of the most asked questions I receive is: "where would you go in Macau for Portuguese food?"  There are plenty of Portuguese restaurants in Macau but there are only a few I would consider a favorite.  Friends know I often go to Maxim Henry's but once in a while, especially when my friends are driving, we like to go to Miramar.

Uluru 3D2N Camping Tour with Emu Run

I have been incredibly busy since 2015 started but hopefully if you followed my Instagram you can still see glimpses of my life.  Very behind on my blog updates but I haven't given up.  I will try my best to catch up and let's start with my most recent camping trip to Uluru, Australia with Emu Run.  (More photos to follow!)

Night Markets of Taipei (2): Huaxi Street Tourist Night Market (華西街觀光夜市)

Another market close to the Taipei Station.  Just by telling from the name, you can see Huaxi Street Tourist Night Market is catered towards tourists.  It is actually well-known for the exotics (e.g. snakes) but there are plenty of choices for non-exotic folks like us as well :)

Huaxi during the day

[Hong Kong] Tai Chung Wah Restaurant (大中華飯店)

I finally got around to get this one up - it took me a while to find where I saved the photos...  The photos are taken by my friend (Ines) when we came here together with the rest of our group around November 2013... (ya, I know... it's been a while...)  We designate her to be the official photographer for the event... (because I was too busy eating!)  She also did a write up on this one (much timelier than me...) on her blog.  Make sure you check it out too! 

Tai Chung Wah Restaurant is probably the most well-known Dai Pai Dong in Cheung Sha Wan.  As a lover of Dai Pai Dong, of course I have to check it out.  The restaurant occupies the whole "block" and they even have several kitchen, each specialized in one type of food.  (e.g. claypot, kitchen, bar, etc.)  It is really cool to see how it evolved over the years.

Night Markets of Taipei (1): Ningxia Night Market (寧夏夜市)

I love going to night markets when I am in Taipei.  There are at least 6 night markets (Ningxia 寧夏, Huaxi 華西, Shida 師大, Tonghua 通化, Shihlin 士林, Raohe 饒河) and each of them is similar yet different.  In the next few posts, I will walk you through each of the night markets I've been and some of the shops I went or peaked my interest.  Hope you will find this helpful and enjoy!

Ningxia is the nearest one from Taipei Station.  It is also my favorite.  It offers a wide variety of Taiwanese snacks and most of them are very tasty.

[Bangkok] Somboon Seafood (建興酒家) @ Siam Square One

Somboon Seafood (建興酒家) is well known for its fried curry crab and has been featured in various travel guides and blogs alike.  Yet, it's no secret that Bangkok taxi drivers would scam unsuspecting travelers and/or diners to it's infamous twin - Somboon Dee - to receive a kickback.

[Bangkok] Harrods Tearoom @ Siam Paragon

A relaxing afternoon tea is generally not on my list of "things to do" when I am traveling - whether for business or for pleasure.  However, since our plan to the Amphawa Floating Market was cancelled, we decided we have too much time to kill and went for tea at Harrods.  Originally, I wanted to support the local coffee shops but I can't find any where I am willing to spend our money. 

[Bangkok] Roast Coffee & Eatery

When in Thailand, most people would associate with tom yum, pad thai, curries, and the colorful variety of street food.  Nevertheless, 2 consecutive weeks of Thai food is too much even for me.  That's why I am excited to have discovered Roast!

[Bangkok] nahm

Thailand, one of the world's top tourist destination.  It's the country I've visited the most.  It's difficult not to fall in love with Thailand.  Tropical climate, wonderful people, and amazing food.  I have to admit I got bored of Bangkok my last trip a few years ago but my latest (biz) trip has rekindled all my love for Thailand.  Because of my schedule, I don't have as much time to update my blog so I encourage you to follow me on my Instagram (@letstalkfoodandetc) for the latest update of what I've been eating.  Regardless, I will still pick the most memorable restaurants and/or experience to elaborate on the blog. ;)  This month (January 2015), will be nahm.

[Macau] Taisho Japanese BBQ (大將日式燒烤)

Happy 2015!  I celebrated the new year with my friends at Taisho (大將) this year.  It is an all-you-can-eat Japanese BBQ restaurant, which is both affordable and delicious.  It's been around for more than a full year now (June 2013) and I can't believe it is only my first visit.  What took me so long?