The great time travelling discovery
On Thursday, 23rd of January, Yelp, an online urban guide hosted one of the most fun and eventful parties inside The Grand Ballroom in the Grosvenor Square Marriott. "The Time Traveller's Ball", basically, a giant party with plenty of food, drinks and entertainment with a time travelling theme, encouraged visitors to dress up in fancy dress outfits. We entered thought the ever elegant Luggage Room cocktail bar and were offered a glass of complimentary cocktails before entering the main hall to register ourselves into the ballroom. Already I could feel the atmosphere of time travelling with most people dressed in iconic historical outfits and some wacky costumes that I couldn't think of a word to describe it!
Harry Brompton's Ice Tea
I have always been a fan of ice tea, nothing beats a home made ice tea with a slice of lemon on a hot summers day. But when its comes into buying one on the high street, I just couldn't think of any decent brands at all, they all taste far too sugary with artificial flavouring which leaves me a bad taste in my mouth. So when I attended the Yelp's time travelling ball and discovered there is a new alcoholic Ice Tea in the market, I showed great enthusiasm to have a taste and oh boy what a great discovery.
Made in London in small batches, with black tea sourced from Kenya’s Great Rift Valley and hand crafted distilled spirit in the mix, it proved to be a winning formula. The ice tea had a rich essence and herbal aroma with layers of flavours while the grain spirit within added a nice depth and dryness. It was such a treat to consume it ice cold with a slice of lime, the gluten free profile is also a big plus. I can also see it works wonders in a long drink or in a cocktail, the possibilities are endless.
http://www.harrybromptons.com/
Briska Craft Cider
I am sure we are now all familiar with the term "craft beer", but craft cider is something I am yet to encounter. Hand crafted in small quantities to ensure the highest quality, Briska is a Swedish craft cider born in Österlen, south of Sweden. According to their website, the Kiviks Musteri family has been operating the cider production since 1888 and the technique has been passed down by generations.
I first tried out their pear cider, as I used to drink a good amount of Kopparbergs, I was kind of benchmarking it but it turned out to be a no contest. The nose of the pear was very natural and refreshing, the taste was very crisp, light and fruity, but at the same time not overly sweet and no bitter after taste like I would find from other cider brands! I then gave their pomegranate cider a taste and it was just as good. It had a great balance of sweetness and sourness, lovely fruity aroma and taste thanks to the all natural content. In Briska, I thinks I just got myself the official choice of summer cider.
http://www.briska.co.uk/
The great chicken feast
Brain child of ex management from the Salt Yard group and a relative newcomer to the trending rotisserie chicken scene in London, Le Coq is a neighbourhood restaurant located in Highbury and Islington. Rotisserie has become a bit of a smash hit lately, with a good number of chicken themed restaurants opening across London such as Chicken Shop and ClockJack Oven. Le Coq has been on my to do list for a while, and when I found out they had finally decided to take bookings, we booked in for a special group gathering.
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| Le Coq |
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| private dining den |
Style over substance
Pokka cafe is a well known restaurant chain in Hong kong and it has been around as long as I can remember it, the food is a mixture of Japanese and French cuisine with some specially sourced coffee from around the world. Le Grand Pokka Cafe is a new concept from Pokka Cafe, with a much upgraded decor and more luxurious items on the menu. We opted for a few set lunches and shared them between us, what really got me puzzled was we were offered some French croissants at the start, but instead of butter or salt, we were given olive oil and balsamic vinegar which was a bit of bizarre choice and I failed to understand the reason behind it.
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| Le Grand Pokka Cafe |
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| bread |
Cocktails in the sky
Located on top of The Ritz Carlton Hotel inside the International Commerce Centre, Ozone is the tallest bar in the world as of writing with a stunning view of the Kowloon harbour and Hong Kong island. On my Christmas Eve visit, there was a fashion show running called "Be Glamour" as part of the hotel's Christmas Eve party, provided by designer/singer Brigitte Da Silva. It was a mixture of fashion and music showcasing her latest design with jazz songs performed by Brigitte Da Silva herself.
I sat at the open terrace outside the main bar overlooking the lovely view while placing my orders, I wasn't so sure if the cocktails were going to be any good as all I read about Ozone is how great the design and the views are and never about the drinks itself. But I didn't need to worry, Champagne Mojito using vodka instead of rum and topping it off with rose champagne proved to be a real winner with its fresh and bitter dryness. The Basilic, a gin cocktail using fresh herbs was also solid, basil, apple, lemongrass and yuzu with a basil foam, lovely presentation and full of herbal aroma. I finished off the evening with the Vanilla Sky: Bourbon Whiskey, Talisker 10, vanilla and pear, a smoky old fashioned style cocktail, the bitter sweet taste was a perfect way to end the evening.
My visit to the Ozone turned out to be a fantastic experience, it is very different to your usual hotel bars that is for sure, with very modern and edgy decor with a feel almost like a night club in Mayfair. Cocktails here are also creative, along with a killer view, Ozone is definitely a destination if you ever visit Hong Kong.
118 International Commerce Centre / The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, 1 Austin Rd W, Hong Kong
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/properties/hongkong/dining/ozone
