Le Gavroche

Celebrating the new year at Le Gavroche! 

We saw both Albert and Michel there :) how lucky lol 

Albert was having lunch there with a "friend"? and Michel was walking around all the tables checking if everything is OK. 

There's this 52 quid set lunch - incl 1/2 a bottle of wine and mineral water and coffee 

On the whole.. everything was nice and perfectly cooked

Good traditional french food

but I don't feel I was wow-ed as much as Ledbury

and I feel I could get equally good traditional food at Roux at Landau - which doesnt require booking months in advance

but it could just because we had set lunch menu rather than a la carte... 

we thought about having a la carte but there was no price tag next to the plates :p so didnt really know how far the bill would get..haha.. 

so we played safe... 

I would definitely go back one day though.. for a la carte/ tasting menu :)

It's all in French but luckily the waitress helped us out 

pretty plate

I don't really like the atmosphere that much.. 

just like an old hotel's restaurant.. nothing very exciting.  

but the service was good. very nicely decorated with painting and little sculpture which can be sold online on their website at a ridiculous price.. 

they seem to be made of cutlery! e.g. 

lobster

Cruets

Terrine as amuse bouche

There were also some canape as soon as we sat down

didn't take photos of them but they were yummm 

breadwise - they are just nice simple bread - french baguette, rye and country bread.  

Starter

Oeuf a la Reine 

-Brioche stuffed with poached chicken, poached egg with creamy sauce and truffle

I would have hoped more truffle flavour and with a warm crispy brioche instead

but it was nice and creamy... just different from what I expected 

Octopus with chorizo and chickpea

- very flavoursome.. soft octopus 

this is the starter that we like out of the two 

- with painting of Michel Roux 

I wonder if Michel is a little self obsess.. .seem to see pictures of him everywhere

Main course

Mix Seafood with creamy sauce

everything perfectly cooked ... 

grilled/confit rabbit with grilled polenta

very nice and flavoursome

Dessert
- The other option was mixed icecream .. which doesnt sound too appealing
so we both had omelette souffle with rhubarb and ginger

very soft but I had a whole mouthful of grated ginger :S which wasnt very pleasant

yummy petit four afterwards :) with mint choc macaron, candied fruit, crispy sesame cookies and a little cake

Chinese year cake

Happy Chinese New year :-) 

This is my favourite Chinese New year food

I've added  driied 桂花 (Sweet Osmanthus?) to one of my batch :) 

It's so nice! 

材料（2個3.5吋x7吋的長方模）

糯米粉    300 克

片糖     300 克    ( I saw some black cane sugar from Waitrose - I would guess it would work too!)

清水   490克

澄麵   75克

製作

1.  將片糖加水煮溶待凍，待凍後加入椰槳、薑汁用格篩過去什質

2.  加入糯米粉和澄麵中（粉要篩過），用筷子攪勻用隔 2 次，粉會滑一點。直至挑起粉槳即瀉下為合。

3.  倒入已塗油之糕盆內，隔水蒸約 1小時。

Ledbury

We were there as my birthday lunch :) I'm so blessed :)

went there on a weekday so there was the set lunch which only cost 35 quid for 3 course.  

There were 2 options per course.  

one of us went for set lunch and the other had a la carte and we shared everything :p 

Their Sunday lunch offer is quite good value ( though I've noticed they've just pushed up the price!) 

you have more option to choose from and it's 50 quid for 3 course! 

we actually went there prepared (studied the menu online and picked what we want) 

but the menu shown on the day was different ... oh well.... 

foie gras mousse on digestive 

so smoothhhh 

didnt take any photo but their bread was good

there were crusty sour dough + bacon/onion brioche! 

Hampshire Buffalo Milk Curd with Saint-Nectaire,Truffle Toast and a Broth of Grilled Onions

THE TRUFFLE TOAST WAS SOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOD

amazing presentation

the dep fried grilled onion was niceee 

from set menu - hand rolled macaroni stuffed with crab with ginger/clementine

set menu: spiced pork belly 

very moist and flavoursome 

Roasted Breast and Confit Legs of Pigeonwith Red Leaves and Vegetables, Foie Gras and Plums

- those confit leg on the side is crispy and yum

Roasted breast was rare, soft and moist

set menu : chocolate brulee with malt whisky icecream 

I particularly liked the icecream... 

Caramelised Banana Galette with Salted Caramel,Passion Fruit and Peanut Oil Parfait

What can go wrong with caramel passionfruit and peanut oil!

Petit four

Cafe 103 (ex Chocolate library), HK

Went for high tea at Ritz Carlton at the HK's Tallest building - ICC on top of kowloon station on the 103th floor! 

Where else can you have tea on the 103th floor! so we thought we would give it a try.  

It was a pain trying to get a table because you can't book over the phone.  In order to get a table, you have to queue at the lobby at 1pm on the day!!! - to eat at 3pm! 

I don't understand why they have to do that.  It seems to be something normal to do for hotels in hk (penisula too has a similar policy) 

It just crowd up their lobby - which is not pleasant for a 5 star hotel.  It is unpleasant for the people whos staying there.  It's inconvenient for those who want to dine there.  

In that case, maybe they could ensure everyone would turn up on time and avoid no-show.  

They could have just asked for credit card when booking like in the UK and ask for a cancellation fee if no show!  o well.... 

It is indeed pretty there, you can only take the lift up to the 103th floor if you have made a booking.  

We were given a table that doesnt have much view. but we walked around towards the window afterwards to have a look.  

Some not very exciting cookies to start

think it was cinnamon

the tea set! we shared one between the two of us and it was still too much

HK$238 for one, HK$438 for two

Mint bread, smoked salmon, herb cream cheese

Cocoa nib chocolate bread, duck fois gras terrine

Curry bread, rosemary ham, mini cress, tomato chutney

(they were nice.. but I couldn't taste any of the above mint bread/chocolate/curry flavour in the bread at all)

White chocolate berries shot

Chocolate Madeleine

Cohcolate Framboise tart

White coffee choclate tart

Chocolate Millefeuille

Chocolate orange confit macaroon

Marble cheese cake

their signature hot chocolate

so heavenly

Beijing - Foooood

Other than Roast Duck.  There are obviously tons of other yummy food to eat
(though I did get food poisoning on the last week :S )

Snacks:

"Old Beijing" Yogurt (sour milk) 

this is one of the surprising thing I have found in Beijing. 

Their yogurt is nice.. it's different from the European ones that I have been eating

It's more pudding like. (less runny) but it's very nice :) 

it's RMB 4 each from the supermarket

It's called Cheese.. but it's a bit like yogurt.. but its not soury ..

apparently it's made with glutinous rice wine.. 

I like it a lot! 

It has a longgggg queue @ nan luo gu xiang - a very popular street in beijing

apparently they only sell a limited amount each day... 

so don't go too late :) 

"qing zhen" deep fried cookies/donut? 

it's ok...... not THAT nice.. 

Wang fu jing night market
- lots of random things to eat
- no local eats there.. it's designed for tourist
  you can eat many different things there but none of them were high quality
- I didnt actually try much of the stuff - esp those adventurous ones e.g. insects
  just took photos of them :p

skewers

silk worm! 

big fat crab

stew pork in bun 

grilled cheese

deep fried icecream

scorpian/ insects

snake! 

pork bun

Hot pot (Chinese fondue)

 one of the must order for hot pot in beijing is sliced lamb! 

Also the "Cold Tofu" - which is a lot more spongier than the normal tofu

noodles

Meat pancake - so nice! 

Maison Boulud Brunch
- too much food

 

- has a cakes/bun plates

DB burger! with ribs/foie gras centre

nice but I wouldnt say it's amazing... 

I didnt like the dessert .. nothing very exciting

too much cream 

it was pear with earl grey mousse + meringue 

 a basket of fresh madeleine 

so so ... ( the ones i make are better :p ) 

very pretty inside though

Noodles bar at Sanlituen 

with beef brisket 

very nice :) 

freshly made noodles

steamed pork dumpling 燒麥
- at qian man

 Beijing pancake!
 - yummmm. it's worth trying but be careful! this is what killed me! my local colleague had the same thing and she didnt have any problem though
- It was 5rmb only
- It's a pancake with plum? sauce + spring onion + egg + a crispy slice

Aria at China world hotel 

- second western meal I've had

- not cheap and not memorable

seafood bisque - it's more tomatoy than seafood 

so-so

layered chocolate cake

it's a mousse cake 

not memorable