Da Paolo: Taint Your Teeth With Squid Ink!

Though Chinese New Year is always about pigging out on festive goodies, my family isn't the type that can stand a whole week of carrot cakes, braised pig trotters and whatsnot. It was just 4 days into CNY celebrations when we were off to Da Paolo for some diet balancing!



The enclave of Holland Village became a lot more accessible for us since the opening of the circle line and I'm hoping to slowly tick off the rows of restaurants at Chip Bee Gardens! As the flagship restaurant of the Da Paolo Group, Da Paolo Ristorante served Italian fine dining with pizzas omitted from the menu (which is taken care of by Da Paolo Pizza Bar further down the street anyway). With both indoor and al fresco seatings, we managed to get the former with ease as there really weren't much customers, though the restaurant also seemed to be a little short-handed during the CNY period.



Complimentary Bread Basket, Cappesante ($26.00)

Noting much to rave about the warmed bread, just something to munch on while waiting for our appetisers. The first one, scallop salad, was lightly tossed with vinaigrette as the fresh, juicy scallops were delightful in texture.



Prosciutto Melone ($22.00), Beef Carpaccio ($24.00)

Oh boy, we do love our greens with meat! Years ago when I haven't had a taste of Iberico Ham, the intense flavours of Parma Ham was "the one", though that position has since been taken over. Nonetheless, the pairing of good parma ham and ripe melon slices here made this appetiser a pleasing one.

No need to have introduction on this one. Juicy beef slices with bitter-refreshing rocket salad and savoury cheese flecks, good stuff!



Risotto Aragosta ($24.00), Cartoccio Mare ($27.00)

I began to appreciate good risottos after experimenting with arborio rice myself. The rendition here was a tad overcooked and didn't have that unique hardened texture. Flavourwise, it was pretty good as the slipper lobster meat lent a helping hand with bits of spinach within.

My dad is fond of baked pastas in parchment paper as he liked how flavours are naturally sealed within. So this spaghetti with seafood medley suited him just fine!


Spaghetti Seppia ($26.00)

Saving the best for the last! After the first encounter way back in Pontini, I have been searching for a perfect plate of squid ink pasta, with most places failing in either noodles or sauce or worse still, both. While Da Paolo's al dente pasta wasn't infused with squid ink, the sauce was exactly what I have been looking for: Strong, murky and distinct flavour that wasn't overpowering with fishy aftertaste. Outstanding!



Creme Caramel ($11.00), Torta al Cioccolato ($14.00)

Unfortunately, I didn't think very much of their desserts. The caramel custard wasn't strongly flavoured and didn't have the eggy texture that I was looking out for. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, the chocolate cake was rather dry too.


Tiramisu ($12.00)

Same for this as I don't remember anything memorable about it now. Just something that came and go as sweets.

Bill for four came up to $218.90 after taxes. To be able to stay in the ever-competitive Chip Bee Gardens (Think Michelangelo's next door), Da Paolo did whip up some pretty good dishes although the impression didn't manage to last through desserts. But the squid ink pasta was definitely something to be kept in mind and to make a return trip for!

Da Paolo Restaurant
44 Jalan Merah Saga #01-56
Holland Village
Tel: 6476 1332

Taken with Nikon D70

Inakaya: Japanese Sky Dining!

Hong Kong is a city obsessed with skyscrapers. Everytime I'm back, I will see taller, grandeur ones all trying to outshine each other. The current landmark is the crazy-tall, 118-storey International Commerce Centre at West Kowloon, making all other buildings look like shophouses. And with such height, sky dining naturally becomes a sure-win concept as I found out at Inakaya!




Located on the 101 storey, Inakaya served exquisite Japanese food while specialising in robatayaki (Grilling). The restaurant's dark, wooden theme and well-spaced tables were perfect for intimate meals, while waiters were friendly yet non-intruding.

Requesting for window(if you actually call those things windows) seats is a must; The full-length glass panels gave a killer view of Victoria Harbour as I was totally mesmerised by the gorgeous citylights.



Sashimi Platter, Sushi Platter

Time and again, the criteria for raw fish is simple: Freshness. Top notch points here as I could only greedily wished for more buttery uni! Rice for the sushi was really good too; Firm, chewy pearl grains that supported the toppings so well. Great start to the meal!



Assorted Tempura, Grilled Unagi

With a delightfully thin batter, the tempura here was nice but not exceptionally memorable. The unagi, on the other hand, was faultless with its plump, juicy texture and glazed with sweet teriyaki sauce. All I needed was a bowl of rice to make my own unagi don!



Grilled Eggplant, Kinki Fish Simmered in Superior Soy Sauce

If you are an eggplant lover, then you would give double thumbs up to this one! The short and plump veggie was lightly grilled and generously smothered with a layer of aromatic miso paste, as its intensive taste was nicely balanced by the juicy meat. Simple yet outstanding!

Frankly, I had no idea what is a Kichiji (Kinki Fish) prior to this meal, as it was only afterwards that I realised the rarity of this Hokkaido rockfish. While the meat was very smooth and delicate, I thought that they had overdone the sweetness of the sauce.


Inaniwa Udon with Sliced Wagyu Beef

Still need a carbo dish to fill you up? Take this one then! No idea about the wagyu grading, but the marbled beef slices was certainly robust in flavour and close to melting in my mouth!




As I have mentioned before, inaniwa udon's smooth and springy texture made it several class above regular udon. While they could serve it both hot or cold with the beef slices, I preferred the latter as the chilled noodles gave an even firmer bite. Slurp it all up!

Inakaya has proved that it is more than just a pretty face with quality ingredients and proven culinary skills. I'm not sure about the bill, but given its more-than-prime location, the dinner for four was certainly of upmarket pricing. Then again, you don't get to dine in the skies everyday so just pamper yourself and enjoy the moment!

Inakaya
Shop A, 101/F
International Commerce Centre
Tel: 2972 2666

Taken with Nikon D70

agnès b. Cafe: Cuppa With Style!

I had a vengeance of sort with agnès b. Cafe during my recent trip to Hong Kong. It all started three years ago when I missed the opening of the fashion label's first cafe outlet in Ocean City by a week, then for some reason I didn't manage to visit it again two years back. So this time, I made up for the past year losses with multiple teatimes at different outlets!



Most of the outlets were clustered around the ever-busy shopping haven of Causeway Bay as I had my first taste at Times Square. Nothing particularly fancy about its decor or service, but still a hit with constant stream of customers.

If you are a fan of the brand, then don't forget to visit agnès b. La Loggia at International Financial Centre. Covering a whopping 15,000 sq ft, you can find the full collection of their different clothing lines, agnès b. Cafe, french restaurant agnès b. Le Pain Grille (KIV-ed!), chocolate shop agnès b. Delice, a mini gourmet grocery shop and even an in-house florist agnès b. Fleuritse!



Cappucino, Latte (HKD 34 ~ SGD 5.60)

I'm no expert with coffee, but I'm quite sure that the collaboration with illy had its standards. Satisfied with my blend of robustful coffee and hot milk foam!


Valerie (HKD 32 ~ SGD 5.30)

Since the cafe specialized in french desserts, I went straight for my favourite Mont Blanc! The chestnut cake wasn't the most fragrant of all, but still good enough with its featherlight marshmallow and rich, grainy chestnut puree. Made a good tea-time sweet!



Boule De Noel (HKD 48 ~ SGD 8.00)

How can I miss the limited editon Chirstmas creation! Like an upmarket Kinder Surprise, the pretty little thing slided open with a slight nudge, revealing a dark chocolate casing with chocolate mousse and coffee liquer within. Very innovative!



9 Piece Praline Box (HKD 170 ~ SGD 18.80)

Since the girlfriend didn't join me on this trip, I thought it would be great if I could bring a box of this back for her! You really have to ask her yourself on how good they were, as I only had a nibble out of Sesame Dark Chocolate (The lizard!) which was bursting of white/black sesame ganache and smooth chocholate-y taste.

Prices at agnès b. cafe weren't too intimidating, and I see it as an excellent bridge between mainstream Starbucks and taitai-posh Cova. The novelty of fashion-labelled cafes has yet to hit Singapore, but as we are now more willing to pay a premium for cakes and coffee, I don't foresee that day as far away!

agnès b. Cafe L.P.G.
Outlets HongKong-wide
Visit their website for store locations!

Taken with Nikon D70

Ramen Champion: Menya Iroha's Black Shoyu Ramen!

Apologies for the lack of updates! Doing a part-time internship with final year project deadline looming and another report due coming week is no fun at all. But anyhow, here's another short follow up at my favourite food arena, Ramen Champion!


King's Ramen ($18.00)

With 4 more brands to try, I went for Menya Iroha this time round. Specializing in black shoyu stock, the brand was crowned champion for three consecutive years in Tokyo and took great pride in making the honour known with notices pasted around its stall. I was really hungry that day and headed straight for its all-in signature!



So was it really the champion among champions? Well, I beg to differ. The black soy sauce soup was indeed very rich and fragrant, and the yellow noodles were of smooth, bouncy texture. Char siew slices were very tender and well braised while the egg too had an excellent runny center. But overall, I didn't think it was outstanding to the extent of being addictive, as it lacked the oomph factor that would convince me it was indeed the best of all.

Still, it was a huge bowl of goodness that kept me really well fed. Three down, three more to go!

Ramen Champion (Menya Iroha)
201 Victoria Street
Bugis Iluma #04-08/09/10
Tel: 6238 1011

Taken with HTC Sensation

Kum Fong: Fantastic Porridge For Breakfast!

I haven't experience much winter life (I wonder why), but I can surely imagine waking up to a good bowl of piping hot porridge in the morning! There are countless awesome porridge stores in Hong Kong but the one that I always rely on has to be Kum Fong!



Located in between Taikoo and Quarry Bay, Kum Fong serves traditional Cantonese porridge and is just a 10 minutes walk away from my house. Being rather popular in the neighbourhood and featured several times in the press, it is one place that you can't enjoy without a wait. Tables are really limited in the small shop and you will probably end up sharing a table with fellow porridge lovers.


Century Egg Lean Meat Porridge (HKD 19 ~ SGD 3.20)

This totally encapsulated the essence of a good porridge; Superior base brimming of rice fragrance (米香), gooey texture with detectable bits of grains, and fresh ingredients that contributed to a rich, savoury flavour. Started my day real well!



Fried Noodles With Superior Soy Sauce (HKD 8 ~ SGD 1.30, Rice Roll With Youtiao (HKD 11 ~ SGD 1.80)

Hong Kongers have really big appetites, so its not unusual to pair a side with your porridge. My favourite got to be the noodles that are fried simply with soy sauce, but has a dry texture and salty taste that complemented porridge so well.

If not go for the lighter rice roll with oh-so-smooth skin and crunchy doughstick. Really good companion too!


Youtiao (HKD 7 ~ SGD 1.20), Steamed Rice Roll (HKD 8 ~ SGD 1.30)

If you are really hungry (or just greedy like us), order them separate as well! This way you will really appreciate how crispy the doughsticks are, and to have the freshly steamed rolls with dark soy sauce and sweet sauce. Very, very satisfying!

A breakfast here won't cost you more than $6.00, which I even dare say under priced for its excellent quality. A real gem in the neighbourhood!

Kum Fong Pretty Porridge & Noodles (Literally translated)
G/F, No. 2 Yau Man Street
Quarry Bay
Tel: What number? Just queue for it, even for takeaways!

Taken with Nikon D70

Kuriya Dining: Celebrating Valentine's!

Ladies, I think you should consider celebrating Valentine's not on the actual day. Think about it, roses will be hell lot cheaper (which means you get more!), tables are much easier to book and best of all, you wouldn't be forced to eat set menus (outrageously priced, btw) that aren't to your liking!

Okay I guess that wouldn't happen anytime soon ("Its the MOOD!" so exclaimed the girlfriend with rolling eyes) but my sentiments are surely agreed by many like-minded boyfriends. Oh well, into the topic, the girlfriend wants to go Japanese this Valentine's and so we celebrated at Kuriya Dining!



Located at a rather hidden corner of Great World City, Kuriya Dining used to be RE&S Group's top Japanese restaurant until they invested a Kuriya Penthouse at Orchard Central. Still, it is constantly voted as among Singapore's best and I have heard plenty of good things about it.

While it looked empty in the picture, we were actually given the second last table despite booking more than a week ago. With its modern, wooden decor, service was speedy and polite with our tea refilled periodically.


Edamame (Set Dinner)

We decided to share one Kuriya Dinner Set ($60.00) with additional ala carte orders. The chilled beans were nothing fancy and just teased our tongue with its lightly salted flavour.



3 Types of Sashimi, Chawanmushi (Set Dinner)

You can count on the Japanese for presentation eh! Admittedly, these were not melt-in-your-mouth belly slices but definitely very fresh and delicate, as the thickness were just right for a meaty feel.

No fancy ingredients in the steamed egg custard either; just cubes of chicken and prawns, mushroom slices and ginko nuts, but the silky soft texture surely won us over!



Soft Shell Crab Handroll ($8.00), Assorted Tempura ($18.00)

Prepared upon order, the crispy crab meat was delightful to munch on with bursts of tiny fish roe. The platter was also very well done with fresh ingredients coated in light batter. Special mention goes to the prawn head that was filled with rich goodness!



Cod Fish Teriyaki, Miso Soup (Set Dinner)

Although there were nine options for main course, the girlfriend went straight for her favourite fish! While the smooth, chunky cuts were nicely glazed with sweet sauce, the accompanying mushroom omelette was also a pleasant surprise with its savoury flavour and sponge-like texture.

Not your run of the mill miso paste dissolved in hot water, this was actually very hearty to drink!



Mini Seafood Shabu-Shabu ($38.00)

Let's have a mini steamboat! While the seafood ingredients were pretty decent (the plump scallop was particularly good), I was slightly puzzled by the broth's sweet taste; making it more like Sukiyaki than Shabu Shabu. Oh well, lapped it up all the same!


Green Tea Ice Cream with Red Bean (Set Dinner)

Again, nothing fancy, just good, dense ice cream with strong green tea taste and balanced out with the sweetness of red bean. Fruits seemed to be merely thrown in to make it more substantial but we appreciated it anyway.


Sins Chocolate

Not sweet enough? Then be nice and get your valentine a box of chocolate pralines! This is my first time buying the little ones from Sins and they turned out to be pretty good!

Bill for two was $145.95 after taxes. Getting two set dinners would be slightly cheaper but we were glad to try more things with ala carte orders. Kuriya Dining is certainly worthy of its reputation and with the positive experience, its time to work towards the next goal: Penthouse!

By the way, I still stick by my point that Valentine's doesn't need to be celebrated on Valentine's because with you, everyday is Valentine's =)

Kuriya Dining
#01-28 Great World City
1 Kim Seng Promenade
Tel: 6736 0888

Taken with Nikon D70