My cooking - 猴頭菇冬菇鯊魚骨紅蘿白煲豬𦟌 Monkey head mushroom, shark's cartilage, carrot and pork soup

As far as I know my grand parents' generation that most of the old-time HK fishermen don't like catching sharks. Even after they catch the sharks, most of them would consume the other parts of the bodies, like boiling soup with the cartilage and even eating the meat or making fish ball with other fish meat. Anyway, originally I was to buy a chicken body (without wings and thighs) for my photo shooting test with my wireless flash. I supposed to take a photo with a wireless flash on the back to show the transparent chicken back bone with thin meat - like x-ray. Unfortunately when I am in the mode of cooking, I would immediately put all the freshly cut/rinsed well ingredients right in the boiling water. So the chicken was then put in the boiling water after cut and rinsed.

1. First boil the cartilage with some ginger and yellow wine for 1 minute and let it stay in the water. 2. Chicken and the pork. 3. Carrot. 4. soaked well mushrooms. 5. Dried tangerine peel and golden ham. 6. 黃(奇)白合蜜棗. No need to put much. Boil it for 2-3 hours. No need to put any salt as the golden ham brings some salty taste in it.

In-room dining, Aleenta (Phuket) Phang Nga

As at summer 2011. They have been changing different serving style of in-room dining. This time it's dim sum basket, and it's good to carry.

睇樓 - Apartment sighting, Nan Fun Sun Chuen 南豐新邨, Quarry Bay HK

Sometimes it would be quite informative to get updated of what's outside in the market, not just for my business. I enjoy taking a look at hotels and why not some apartments or condo. Also because of my spiritual senses (though I lost it sometimes), I would be requested by my friends, to be a spirit "detector" to sight the apartment. This time I gotta see this 3 bedroom unit of 627 square feet at Nan Fun Sun Chuen and the rent is HK$17,000 monthly. The rent is going crazy as this unit used to be at around HK$7-8,000. In talking about Nan Fun Sun Chuen, my uncle, my aunt and my father are all fond of this area because it's in the arms of Mount Parker (the mountain behind Quarry Bay). Interesting that this area has brought lots of fortune to a no. of artists, and also my business fellows. 2 recent examples are that they got better off, married and even getting rid of some tough chronic skin allergy and asthma problems. I often told them it's because this area is very wide open with good air flow and good sunshine. We should take more fresh air and more sunshine. Live in a positive way. Think in a positive way and naturally look better, become confident and work smart.

王家沙, 太古城 - Wang Jia Sha City Plaza II, Tai Koo Shing HK

More real Siu Lon Bao to show and this time it's Wang Jia Sha, though it's not the signature dish of the shop. This branch is better than the one in Mong Kok.

1. Pan fried beef buns HK$24 (for 2). Served very hot and aromatic. Nice beef filling inside.

2. Tan Tan Noodle HK$38. A very big bowl and it's as good as CJ's Tan Tan noodle, as the noodle was freshly tossed and pulled.

3. Shimmered spare ribs in sweet vinegar HK$42. A bit too sweet to me but it's pretty Shanghai style.

4. Mashed beans stir fried with amanranth 豆瓣莧菜 HK$48. The mashed bean could go so well with the amanranth and it just absorbed the water of the amanranth. Quite impressive.

5. Sesame dried shred pork bun HK$28. A big portion too. Very aromatic and irresistible.

6. Veggie pork Siu Lon Bao HK$32. Nice filling and nice bun too. We can taste the bun flavour. 7/8. the shop.

Tough small friend

Noticed something on it?

The fastest Pen camera E-P3, Olympus

Fastest as the person walking by.

This ad. is just opposite to Taikoo Place on King's Road next to the A1 exit of Quarry Bay MTR station.

上海豫園城隍廟南翔饅頭店，銅鑼灣分店 - HK Causeway Bay branch, Nan Xiang Man Tao Shop

1. This is the original shop in Shanghai Yue Yuan. Note that the name Man Tao is specified. So supposed Siu Lon Bao should be one of the buns, shouldn't be in such a thin wrap.

2. Years ago, it expanded to HK.

3. Chopped veggie and dried bean curd 馬蘭頭, HK$32. Finally I got a right dish of this one in HK. It's nicely dried out and aromatic with the finely chopped veggie.

4. Drunken chicken HK$58. Some very nice yellow wine was used. So fragrant. I almost wanna drink that wine sauce.

5. Chicken veggie braised noodle 嫩雞煨麵, HK$36. Nice soup base and noodle too.

6. Siu Lon Bao HK$36. I would prefer this kind of Siu Lon Bao - more down-to-earth bun flavour with nice pork filling. Yet, it's more reasonably priced.

7. Siu Lon Veggie Bao HK$30. Nice veggie aroma and the bun is good too.

8. Veggie, shrimp and salty pork fried rice HK$58. The shrimp was a bit too marinated, but the fried rice was very nice - separated and aromatic but not too dry.

9. Osmanthus steamed cake HK$18. Very nice with the osmanthus aroma.

10. My must try mini sticky rice dumpling in osmanthus sweet soup 桂花酒釀丸子 HK$22. The mini dumplings were freshly made to the order. This is a very important step but yet neglected by many restaurants. That's how the nice strong sticky rice aroma got in the sweet soup and infused with the broken rice wine and osmanthus flavour. That's the essence of this sweet soup.

11. Again this sesame dumplings were made to the order. Nice ginger soup too. HK$22.

Jasmine Cantonese restaurant 八月花, Festival Walk 又一城, Kowloon Tong HK

Got a pleasant surprise with this Maxim's brand Cantonese restaurant.

3. Steamed kai lan with preserved veggie 梅菜蒸芥蘭 HK$58. Very nice preserved veggie and the steaming making it go well with the kai lan.

4. Conch slices with jelly fish 海哲螺片 HK$48. Good that they put a cucumber slice in between the conch slices. Very clever to make it this way. Crunchy cucumber and tender conch slices. Refreshing and sweet.

5. Soy sauce chicken 玫瑰豉油雞 HK$68. Very nice soy sauce stewed with rose wine 玫瑰露酒, and such an original cooking of soy sauce chicken. Besides, some honey soy beans beneath the chicken making the chicken meat with bean aroma 豉味.

6. Thousand year egg with pickled baby ginger HK$32. This should be the real thousand year egg. We should show this to Din Tai Feng for letting them what thousand year egg should be.

7. Steamed turnip cake HK$48. This is exactly what my elder sister does for this turnip cake. No dried mushroom, just dried shrimp, scallop and sausage with thick cut of turnip. Also no need to season it too much. Simple salt and sugar to bring out the original flavour of turnip.

8/9. Baked orange marmalade pudding HK$32. The presentation is very nice and the orange marmalade is very aromatic in the pudding with the caramelized dome to be cracked and melt on it. Highly recommended. Their almond tea is terrific with strong rice aroma. Should be that way as the classic almond tea should have the rice aroma. Sorry no photo for that as I took that right away because of the nice aroma.

Festival Walk 又一城, Kowloon Tong HK

This shopping mall is with more than enough escalators. You wouldn't miss one inside this mall. The question mark shown on photo 1 is where the information counter is.