3 cocktail bars I recommend in Hong Kong

3) Angel's Shares

Ok not really a cocktail bar but rather a specialist whisky bar instead. But the bartenders there got some really fun and interesting whisky base cocktail. Try the foie gras manhattan as your pre dinner cocktail. Whisky infused with foe gras juice then age in a little container before the usual manhattan ingredients added to create a rich and complex taste. Or try the house whisky sour for a sweeter and mellower taste.

The famous whisky barrel

Some rare Japanese Whisky

The Square (Hong Kong) and Xin Dau Ji

Michelin lost in translation

Ok, I always find Michelin hasn't got a clue when it comes to Asian food. Nobu London was average at best, while Yauctcha was created to have Chinese food that suited for the western palate, I enjoyed it but it really lacked the true soul and essence of Chinese cooking. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but I find it hard to consider it Chinese but rather: "Western Chinese" instead. (Which is what the Hakkasan Group, owner of Yauctcha, is aiming at anyway.)

The Michelin guide for Hong Kong is very hit and miss when it comes to Chinese food. Ming Court at The Langham Place Hotel, a two star venue, was wonderful while I can't say the same for the two star Ah Yat Harbour View.... It was very average and one star at best.... My mission this time was to pick two 1 star venues and compare the two and the results proved to me once again, Michelin is just so inconsistent in judging Chinese food.

So first came The Square in the Exchange Square II, Central, owned by the heavy weight restaurant group, Maxims. We picked from the al la carte menu base on their signature dishes and the waiter's recommendation on a dinner service. While it wasn't bad, I failed to find a single dish that stood out as everything I had apart from one dish I can find it at another place at a cheaper price and probably better tasting too. The BBQ meat platter was ok but really nothing special at all, the suckling pig skin on cracker has to be one of the most over priced dishes I've encountered, six pieces of thin meat at almost £20, that is a lot of money in Hong Kong, that is more than enough for a whole meal for 1 person in a standard Chinese restaurant. The pan fired beef fillet and roast pork ribs again were decent but no more than that, the signature deep fried King Prawn and roast giant conch tasted good but for the money you can most likely have something even better else where. The only dish that really impressed was beef cheek cooked in Chinese curry, tender and moist beef cheek in a sweet and well-balanced spicy curry was the saving grace of the evening. 

The Square front door

 Pan fired beef fillet

Roast giant conch

Beef cheek cooked in Chinese carry

3 hotel cocktail bars I recommend in London

3) Mandarin Bar @ Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park

A cocktail bar inside one of the most famous hotel in London, an ideal place to hang out after work or post shopping. It can get extremely busy thanks to Heston's latest offering just on the other side: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. The bar itself has three sides with the bartenders doing their magic behind the frosted glass. The cocktail list contains flavors around the world, labels under each city base on the city's culture and local ingredients. Service were great and the little nibbles were just as good. 

Mandarin Side Car

Bo Innovation

Chinese gastronomy with an innovative western twist

Located in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, a two Michelin star restaurant created by the self styled "Demon Chef" Alvin Leung cooking "Xtreme Chinese". To his credit, a sound engineer who entered cooking at a rather late age and is entirely self taught who managed to gain two Michelin stars and no.52 in The World's 50 Best Restaurants, you got to give credit to this guy, this is an incredible achievement. I booked this restaurant as I am curious to know what is "Xtreme Chinese" all about and since he just opened a restaurant called "Bo London" in London, I wanted to compare the two in the near future. 

The restaurant is tucked away on a narrow street in the busy Wan Chai district, on arrival we were warmly welcomed by the front of house, I was surprised how small the dining room was, excluding the balcony space, you probably can only fit in about 10 tables there. It is about a third of the size of Hibiscus and Hibiscus itself is one of the smallest fine dining restaurants in London!

We went for tea as our beverage, which is a common thing to do in a Chinese restaurant. Unfortunately the tea was very bland. Tea is such an important element for a Chinese restaurant and I am afraid the tea we had was not up to expectation, considering Bo Innovation is such a highly regarded Chinese restaurant.

For starters we ordered six dim sum, first came the "har gau" black truffle XO. A prawn dumpling cooked with black truffle and XO sauce, XO sauce is a Chinese sauce made with dried scallop, shrimp, ham, chili oil and other Chinese spices. The har gau was excellent, nicely steamed at the right level, the prawns were sweet and tender, then the strong and powerful truffle flavour flooded in with a hint of spiciness coming through from the XO sauce, delicious.

Selections of dim sum

Amber @ The Landmark Mandarin Oriental

Elegance French cuisine with a touch of Far East influence

On my holiday in Hong Kong, I visited Amber at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Central. The highest ranked restaurant from Hong Kong in the 2012 World's Best restaurants from the Restaurant magazine at 44, and holder of two Michelin stars, one of only two French restaurants in Hong Kong to manage to do so in the 2013 edition. (The other being Spoon by Alain Ducasse) I was on a mission to see the level of consistency of Michelin guide in another part of the world as it has always been a big topic to see if the Hong Kong guide is getting it right.

So back to my Amber review, Amber is located within the busy shopping district inside the grand Landmark Mandarin Oriental. I stopped at the Mo Bar inside the hotel first as it is suppose to be one of the best Hong Kong Hotel bars providing top class cocktails. The décor of the bar is beautiful, easily the most glamorous bar I have been to. Below is a picture from asia-bars.com as my own picture from my crappy phone just simply doesn't do the bar justice. 

Mo Bar, photo from asia-bars.com

Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley

A benchmark of haute cuisine

A living legend in the hospitality world, Marcus Wareing is one of the top chefs in the UK, the passion and commitment he has for cooking is just incredible, a true chef.
This is my second visit to Marcus Wareing's two stars venue at the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge. On my last visit I was just so amazed how good everything was. The service was faultless, the food was stunning and the presentations were second to none. I know some people aren't fussed with presentation but for me, it really lifts up the whole dining experience and I really appreciate the effort that chefs put into creating beautiful dishes. (Well as long as the food is as good!) I also had the chance to visit the kitchen afterwards to chat to their chefs and seeing how a two star kitchen in action.

So, here comes my second try, I arrived a little early so went to the other side of the hotel to have a nice glass of daiquiri in the famous Blue Bar. The interior of the bar is interesting, I felt I was walking into a mini chateau run by the Smurfs! Designed by David Collins who is the same guy behind Artesian (my favourite!). The Daiquiri was mixed using a special vanilla infused Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum, the result? A rich and spicy daiquiri with a sweet and mellow taste, I can drink that all day long!

Blue Bar

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

A modern British classic

The name Heston Blumenthal needs no introduction, one of the most successful chefs from Britain. His first restaurant at Bray, The Fat Duck: holder of three Michelin stars, was once voted the best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine. I was very much looking forward to seeing what his London restaurant had to offer.

The booking was a nightmare and it took me a while before I managed to get hold of a table, located in the super posh Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in Knightbridge, the restaurant is linked to the famous Mandarin bar, which does some very tasty cocktails. 

The service at the bar was top notch, very knowledgeable and they really understand the drinks and know how to interact with customers, we were guided to the restaurant after two rounds of cocktails, the décor of Dinner is excellent, a high ceiling with good amount of space and smart lighting, plus an open kitchen to see some very interesting stuff, such as pineapples being cooked on a spit roast.

Cognac base cocktail

The starter I went for is the famous meat fruit, which is chicken liver and foie gras parfait wrap in a mandarin jelly. This is a stunning dish, the chicken liver and foie gras were perfectly balanced, smooth, rich and creamy, the sweet and light mandarin clothing added an extra texture and taste in your mouth, wonderful to go along with the grilled bread. This is one of the best starters I've tasted in 2012 alongside the terrie of foie gras and smoked eel at Galvin La Chapelle, wonderful.

Meat Fruit:p

Le Gavroche

A history master class on classical gastronomy

To kick off my first review on restaurants, I can't think of a better place to start other than Le Gavroche. A legendary French restaurant in London's Mayfair, opened by the Roux Brothers, Michel Roux and Albert Roux. It is now run by Albert's son, Michel Roux Jr. who is also a judge from the BBC Master Chef Professional series.
  
I visited Le Gavroche on the back of a trip to the Waterside Inn. Which is a fine dining restaurant in Bray opened by one half of the Roux brothers, Michel Roux, and just like Le Gavroche, it is now also run by Michel's son Alain.
I was really amazed by the experience at Waterside inn, everything was fabulous, absolutely amazing, so I really got high expectations for Le Gavroche.

When we arrived we were warmly welcomed by the front of house who took us to the main restaurant, which is located in the basement. The ceiling is rather low with green wallpaper, and I felt like I was back to the 70's when I stepped into the restaurant (even though I wasn't born yet lol!). From the paintings to the cutlery, everything looks beautiful and elegant; I can see I am just about to have a really special and classical experience ahead of me.

We went for the Menu Exceptionnel, which is their 9 course tasting menu.

We started off with the cheese souffle cooked in double cream.
A very accomplished dish, reading from the menu I was a bit worried due to such richness of the elements with cheese and double cream as a starter. But not at all, the dish managed to retain the good flavours of the cheese and cream but maintain lightness, a very good first course indeed.

Cheese Souffle Cooked on Double Cream

2012 Recap

Always wanted to start a blog on good food and drinks, finally got the ball rolling in 2013, all the photos are taken by my friends or myself unless specially mentioned. All reviews and topics are my personal point of view.Below is a short recap of all the notable restaurants I been to in 2012. 

For restaurants: my rating is out of 10 and base on Food, Service, Ambience and Value.
*= Michelin star

Ming Court at the Langham Place Hotel **
Quality Cantonese style Chinese cooking with great service
Food 7
Service 7
Ambience 5
Value 7


Murano by Angela Hartnett *
Classy Italian cooking at the heart of Mayfair
Food 6
Service 7
Ambience 5
Value 6


The Square **
Accomplish French cooking but was it worth 2 stars? (Perhaps an off day?)
Food 6
Service 6
Ambience 5
Value 6


Gauthier*
Very good French cooking in a unique setting with great value
Food 7
Service 7
Ambience 6
Value 9

Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley **
Top quality French cooking with top-level presentation
Food 9
Service 9
Ambience 7
Value 8


Kitchen W8*
Good value, decent modern European cuisine
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 4
Value 8

Apsleys at the the Lanesborough*
Fairly good Italian cooking in a stunning, beautiful dinning room
Food 5
Service 6
Ambience 8
Value 6


Harwood Arms*
Good level pub food with a restaurant price tag
Food 6
Service 5
Ambience 4
Value 6


Semplice*
Solid Italian food with good depth of flavours
Food 6
Service 5
Ambience 5
Value 6


Helene Darroze at the Connaught**
Modern classic French cooking with very good service
Food 8
Service 9
Ambience 7
Value 7

Foie Gras @ Helene Darroze

Pollen Street Social*
Contemporary bistro setting with skilful cooking and good value
Food 7
Service 7
Ambience 8
Value 8


Pollen Street Social* (2nd visit)
Lunch at the Social Bar, this time along with creative cocktails with a wow factor
Food 7
Service 8
Ambience 8
Value 8


Hibiscus**
Top notch modern French cooking but in a rather dull dinning room
Food 8
Service 7
Ambience 5
Value 6


L' Atelier Joel Robuchon**
Average cooking, over price, not stars worthy... 
Food 5
Service 6
Ambience 7
Value 5


Waterside Inn***
The definition of true haute cuisine, just amazing.
Food 9
Service 9
Ambience 10
Value 7


The Ledbury**
World class cooking with world-class service
Food 9
Service 10
Ambience 8
Value 8


Yauatcha*
A "not so Chinese" experience in a Chinese dim sum restaurant
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 6
Value 4


Galvin at Windows, Hilton Park Lane*
Decent modern French cooking in an impressive setting overseeing London
Food 5
Service 6
Ambience 8
Value 6


Galvin La Chapelle*
Wonderful modern European cuisine with great atmosphere 
Food 8
Service 7
Ambience 8
Value 8


Pollen Street Social* (3rd visit)
Creative and playful food with a bit of "Fat Duck" DNA
Food 7
Service 8
Ambience 8
Value 6


Le Gavroche**
Legendary French gastronomy experience
Food 8
Service 8
Ambience 7
Value 6


Greenhouse*
Contemporary fine dinning in a luxury setting with a rather heavy price
Food 7
Service 7
Ambience 6
Value 5


Hibiscus** (2nd visit)
Great dinner with some unusual combination to create rich and interesting taste   
Food 8
Service 7
Ambience 5
Value 6


The Ledbury** (2nd visit)
Once again, exquisite, top level cooking with flawless service 
Food 9
Service 10
Ambience 8
Value 7


Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at Mandarin Oriental Hype Park*
Fun and creative cooking using top British ingredients  
Food 8
Service 7
Ambience 8
Value 6


Alyn Williams at the Westbury*
Good value tasting menu with great service, good chat with the man himself at the end.
Food 7
Service 7
Ambience 7
Value 8


Thrisha*
Better than your average India but no match to other 1 star western restaurants. 
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 4
Value 7

Tiger King Prawn @ Thrisha

Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley ** (2nd visit)
The best chutney in London! Finally managed to taste the legendary custard tart.
Food 8
Service 7
Ambience 7
Value 8


Helene Darroze at the Connaught** (2nd visit)
Wonderful tasting menu with stunning seafood and some interesting combination
Food 8
Service 9
Ambience 8
Value 7


Nobu* 
Once again, Michelin is a bit lost when is come to none EU food.... Decent Japanese, but not at the level of expectation. 
Food 6
Service 3
Ambience 5
Value 5

Nobu Bento Box

Hedone* 
Top use of ingredient as expected. But a little lack in creativeness.
Food 6
Service 4
Ambience 6
Value 5


Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant**
A Cantonese restaurant, specialist in abalone dishes. Some very good dishes but some very average stuff too, not consistent enough. (And pretty poor service for a 2 stars restaurant)
Food 6
Service 3
Ambience 7
Value 6


Lima
Great Peruvian food, using fresh ingredient and top seasoning.
Food 7
Service 5
Ambience 4
Value 5

Suckling Pig @ Lima

Burger & Lobster
One of the best value meal in London, the downside? No booking = very long queue.
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 6
Value 9


Opera Tavern
Spanish tapa, decent food but not worth the money you are paying for.
Food 5
Service 4
Ambience 4
Value 4


One O One
Lovely seafood restaurant, totally deserve a Michelin star in my view. 
Food 7
Service 7
Ambience 5
Value 7


Hawksmoor Guildhall
One of the best steak house in London, the porterhouse is heavenly. They make pretty dam good cocktails too.  
Food 6
Service 6
Ambience 5
Value 6


Honest Burger (Soho)
The best burger I had up to date, never expect burger can taste this great!
Food 6
Service 4
Ambience 3
Value 9


Nizuni
Pretty good Japanese but far too expensive as it is almost Zuma's level.
Food 6
Service 4
Ambience 5
Value 4


Meat Liquor
Fun décor with great value food, fast food at its best (although the long queue kind of destroy the "fast" concept.
Food 5
Service 4
Ambience 6
Value 8