In the Sky

Apartment in Cannes, Southern France

2012-01-30T04:58:00.002+08:00

On some of the trips in Cannes, I would feel like staying in an apartment (not a full serviced with daily cleaning and a restaurant). So you would find yourself living more local. This time I chose this apartment in the port area, a bit away from the busy crowded area. It's very spacious at around 800 square feet with a big balcony and a full kitchen that I thought about getting some freshly made ravioli and a roasted chicken for a nice lunch in the balcony. Unfortunately the weather has been very rainy for the past 2 days.

瞬間看地球, 康城, 法國南部 10:05pm - Around the Earth at a glance, Cannes, Southern France

2012-01-29T06:50:00.004+08:00

This scene is very familiar for those who watch the HK TV world clock report, especially in the morning news time before going to work (e.g. HK time 6-8am is Cannes 11pm to 1am. Thinking if my family may have watched me walking along this harbour in the morning time of HK. A big hello from Cannes! This time I am staying in a serviced apartment just at the far left of this photo. I need to walk across this area in these few days.

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain - part 3

2012-01-26T05:27:00.003+08:00

Climbing up, inside Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain - part 2

2012-01-25T06:44:00.002+08:00

Suggest buying a ticket with the lift visit to get up at around 15-20 floors high inside the tower, The ticket itself is about Euros 10 and 6 for the lift. As you walk down inside the tower, you would feel how narrow staircases (photo 4). Then after you get on the ground level, you will get a swirling feeling for sure. Applaud for the workers who made it.

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain - part 1

2012-01-25T05:43:00.004+08:00

The photos can't tell exactly of how this masterpiece is. Seeing it in my camera's view finder really makes me hand shaking. This time I went up on the towers inside and feel in it... to be continued. (*the first 6 photos were taken on X100 and the other on 550D with 17/40 lens. The latter one is good on a wider angle.).

The alley, the mansion, Barcelona, Spain

2012-01-24T06:34:00.005+08:00

It's been over 10 years. I almost lost my memory of how this city looks like and I even lost my old digital photos. As I stepped in the alleys and looked inside of the mansion, the journey continued... (*all these photos were taken by my newly equipped Fujifilm X100. Without any post processing, some very dim photos - the last 3 taken at F2 to F2.8 at ISO 1,600 to 3,200, can be so rich and almost no light falling off.)

Frites, Belgium on tap, San Li Tun, Wanchai North, HK

2012-01-19T23:28:00.000+08:00

The dining area San Li Tun (the platform area of Causeway buildings on Gloucester Road) has completed its new face lift with various restaurants. Saw this new branch (the other one in Quarry Bay, Taikoo Place) in San Li Tun and gave it a try. Got a set lunch menu (ranged from HK$138 to 238) with a soup or salad, a main course and a drink or dessert. I chose a chicken filet on couscous. It's so so. I don't mind frozen chicken if it's marinated a bit to get rid of the frozen smell. On the main course, I took a duck confit on a bed of mixed beans. The duck confit (photo 5) was too dried out but not crispy. Then on the other main grilled sea bass, it's average too. The dessert is their home made pound cake. Apparently this restaurant is mainly in the business for beer and drinks with snacks and tapas to go with.

池記 Chee Kee Wonton noodle shop TST

2012-01-18T23:45:00.004+08:00

This shop is another busy shop I would miss during meal time. By luck and in between meetings in TST, as I passed by Lock Road, I grabbed a few minutes for a quick wonton noodle soup. It's still so good as I tried years ago. Really missed it a lot. This one, Mak Um Kee (麥奀記) & Ho Hung Kee (何洪記) are my favourite ones for wonton noodle. Their soup base is still maintained with the original aromatic "big earth" fish and pork bone ingredients. Don't leave the soup behind. I always empty the bowl.

滬江飯店 Wu Kong Shanghai restaurant TST HK

2012-01-16T23:03:00.001+08:00

It's interesting to see a restaurant in the basement which can survive nearly 30 years and almost every night it is full house. It was about 10pm I came here for a late night dinner and it's still full house. Most of them are local HK people.

Ordered a drunken pig's knuckle, salty pork tofu casserole and a stir fried fish filet with 薺菜桂魚片. I cleaned up all the plates and even the seaweed peanuts (photo 2)! I even drank some of the wine from the drunken pig's knuckle. I seldom drink but this one is so good that I made an exception. *check the last photo. Interesting to see its fellow shops still there, e.g. Larry shop.

手中線 (thread in your hands).

2012-01-15T23:31:00.000+08:00

Whenever I see the needle, I recall how my grand ma and aunt used to call me to help them sew the thread thru' the needle's eye. Under the 100mm macro lens, I gotta see the tiny cotton on the thread and the oxidized on the scissors.

Cova, Lee Garden, Causeway Bay, HK

2012-01-14T20:43:00.005+08:00

Whenever I visit this shop, I would recall the time I visited their original shop in Milan. Their aromatic coffee just couldn't let me just pass by. Even whenever I was in Harbour City, I would definitely get a take-away iced mocha before my long walk.

On the first day of 2012, I came here for a nice brunch. I was a bit too early and waited at their cafe (photo 1/2) for the table preparation. So I took a refreshing strawberry squash. Good that they didn't put any heavy syrup. Very strawberry!

The restaurant offered a very delicate antipasti with various cold cuts/salmon/mixed salad and fine olive and grilled veggie. The surprising is the beetroot cauliflower terrine (right top of photo 6). Never tried such a veggie terrine and it's so clean and refreshing sweet. The other surprise is their ravioli (bottom right of photo 7). It's freshly made with very nice flour aroma.

We took a pan fried Kurobuta pork chop coated with whole grain mustard in green apple sauce. So juicy inside and the green apple sauce lifted up the pork aroma. Perfect combination. The other main course is Milanese risotto with saffron and braised slow cooking beef cheek with a golden leaf. I chose this one from the menu as beef cheek isn't that easy to handle well. The chef really did a nice job on this dish, and he was so brave not to put any seasoning in it. Natural beef stock to braise the beef cheek. The nice aroma of saffron in the rice. Another inspiration for me. *one remark is that they put a right amount of sauce. The dessert is Mango Napoleon. I didn't like cream but it's freshly made and not sweet at all. The vanilla gelato is their home made speciality. No wonder this dessert is their marked signature. Highly recommended! At last, a perfect Italian coffee to round up the whole meal.

騸雞窩 Castrated chicken casserole

2012-01-14T20:00:00.005+08:00

Haven't come across this kind of chicken for so many years and maybe it's in my grandma's era. Back to the old days, this one and Lon Kong chicken 龍崗雞 were some very familiar names. So when I noticed this on the new menu of Jade Garden HK, I promptly ordered one. The strong chicken flavour, especially the protein meaty aroma is the essence of this chicken. The chef was very clever to put some winter melon in it to absorb the nice flavour of this chicken. The pleasant feeling is that I feel like my old family members were around me. A magic of food. So healing.

Have a nice weekend

2012-01-14T00:04:00.003+08:00

Take care too. Ciao ciao!

2012 review: Nefertiti restaurant, Bangkok

2012-01-13T23:15:00.007+08:00

It's been 3 years something I haven't been to this restaurant. The nan isn't that appealing. My most missed potato rolls stuffed with minced lamb meat (photo 7) is totally different. No more yoghurt flavour in it. Supposed the potato rolls should be baked with flat yoghurt sauce. That sealed the juice and aroma of the potato and lamb. A bit disappointing.

Brunch buffet at Espresso, Cafe of InterContinental BKK

2012-01-12T23:09:00.007+08:00

The brunch is indeed so eye catching. I just took one piece of each item (actually couldn't finish all the items) and so it created such an array of colorful food. The prime rib is the highlight - very nicely roasted and of some very good grade quality. The bread is awesome too. All the food are above average. The only complaint is on the lobster and some of the prawns which were not fresh. The lobster was served in a half portion quota for each guest. At this point, their lobster should have been served in a better quality. The imported strawberry was served just one time like a flower at a glance. I didn't get to taste it but got told it's really good.

Dean & Deluca, Phloenchit, BKK

2012-01-11T23:49:00.003+08:00

Visited this newly opened branch at the intersection of Phloenchit and Wireless Road. It offers various coffee and tea and selected choco. and cakes. Tried their iced mocha and it's average. A bit too dry and not aromatic enough. The strawberry tart was also average. After all, it's good to go check some different products in this store.

The swimming pool, Emporium Suites, Sukhumvit BKK

2012-01-11T23:21:00.002+08:00

The other good thing about this serviced apartment is this big tropical swimming pool. Though the water is a bit cold (due to the weather), the abundant sunshine would keep you warm a bit.

The room, Emporium Suites, Sukhumvit BKK

2012-01-10T22:37:00.003+08:00

The only thing I am happy with this service apartment is the friendliness of the front desk and restaurant staff, but when it comes to the room quality and the hotel facilities standard, there are a chain of problems. Just like the room, the sound proof is pretty poor. The fridge is quite noisy and the shower water is just at room temperature during 10-12 night time. There is another consideration for me to choose this serviced apartment is the view that I looked for and especially they did cater my special request for facing on the side to the river and Rama III.

Breakfast at the Emporia, cafe of Emporium Suites, BKK

2012-01-10T00:03:00.003+08:00

1. Noticed no one would take this seat and on the 2nd day they still put the seating like this.

2. If you enlarge the photo, you would find some dirt and dust on it. Actually almost every corner is quite dusty.

3. Next to the boiled egg is some turkey bits. Actually I asked for a double portion. The food is so so, actually not fresh fruit and meat, even the eggs, almost expired. Then the next day I gave up the breakfast. Simply go down to Minibar on the food court floor of Emporium.

*If you will consider to stay here, please ask for a room only (if possible, forget the bathroom too and if you don't like a quiet room.). Don't waste your time.

The memorable facilities, Emporium Suites, Suk 24, BKK

2012-01-09T23:54:00.006+08:00

1/2. the executive lounge. The first time I noticed a TV set was put in a golden picture frame.

3. the gym. All the equipments can be classified as in the World Heritage gym museum but amazingly look so brand new. The weigh bars are even sticking to each other because of rare uses. So no matter you wanna choose 10kg or 60kg, it's the same as 100kg as they are sticking to each other. No wonder they are so brand new. I even saw some twisting machine that I haven't seen since the 80's.

4/5. I thought at least a nice changing room and a shower (at least for a real warm water shower, due to the room having just room temperature shower water in the night time when many guests were turning on their showers - this is again another common thing of the 80's hotel signature, or even 70's).

6/7. Then I ran into a cruel massacre 一家三口滅門慘案... :( The father must have asked his wife to go bring with their kid on run, as the father was inside the toilet room and the mother with kid were near the entrance.).

Part 3, the 46th HK brands and products expo. 維園工展會

2012-01-08T23:37:00.001+08:00

Eating is definitely the most important part of the Expo. Lots of booths are here offering a very wide variety of food, from dim sum, abalone, seafood, congee...even Taiwanese drinks and snacks. That was the 2nd last day on my visit and I noticed quite many booths taking the most common HK style slogan "want money, don't want the products" (photo 5). *check the last photo. Some coach tours (for those elderly from the New Territories - northern part of HK) were arranged and some courier services were there too. Quite many booths offer free delivery services for expenses over a few hundred HK$. *my photos for the 3 parts of this expo is just about 1/4th of the whole area.

Part 2, the 46th HK brands and products expo. 維園工展會

2012-01-08T22:35:00.001+08:00

Some names we may forget but they are still in the market (photo 2-4).

Sampling eating is a very delightful thing here in this expo. You wouldn't feel hungry even after a few hours of checking around. There are so many things for you to sample, from soup, drinks to various snacks. Among those, the best sampling is "Tung Chun" black vinegar (photo 9). They put a diced hard boiled egg soaked in the black vinegar. So good and aromatic. I took a few of it. Some brands like "Lion head" oil (photo 10) has a package deal for free home delivery of 3-4 bottles of oil and 3-4 packs of "Golden Elephant" fragrant rice (about 20-30% cheaper than what you paid in Supermarket). Many booths offer a free trolley if you spend like HK$100-200, like the "Longevity Peach" 壽桃牌 offering a free trolley at the expenses of HK$80 (the right corner of the last 4th photo). At last, I like how Garden has their signature pattern bag. How can we forget this blue/white pattern :)

The 46th HK brands and products expo (part 1). 維園工展會

2012-01-07T23:31:00.005+08:00

The expo was over about a week ago. I was happy to join the visit with my sister's family at this fun expo., and in fact impressed too. It's very well organised and lots of interesting indie and big brands were there. My sister and I also got excited to see the Thai brand Khon Kaen having a booth there. Naturally we bought a pack of freshly roasted dried pork (the last 2nd photo). Too bad their roasting machine wasn't powerful enough to make it burnt a bit. Anyway, we were still happy enough. More photos to follow on part 2.... *I believe many people would forget what's there on the last photo.

S31 Hotel, Sukhumvit soi 31, BKK

2012-01-06T21:30:00.000+08:00

Thought about trying this hotel but the demonstration turmoil told me not so as this soi was a critical area. As I was about to give it a try, there were so many other choices in line. Somehow I dropped by and asked for sighting some of their duplex and panorama rooms. The duplex is a bit too narrow due to a higher ceiling and the panorama is a bit too flat as how it is named. Below photos were taken at the pool and reception area.

From the river, Sathorn to Sukhumvit

2012-01-05T23:16:00.001+08:00

1. Rama IV/Sathorn.

2. lower stream of Chaophrya river.

3. Sukhumvit 18/20. Far left on the top is part of the Column. Middle left (the pink one) is Rembrant hotel. The shortest in the gap between Rembrant and Windsor Suites is Park Plaza soi 18. Then opposite to it with glass is Oakwood soi 18. The black one on the bottom middle is Best Western Suk 20.

4. Sukhumvit Asoke to soi 22. The left tall one is True Fitness tower, the middle (under construction) is the new Holiday Inn.

5. Imperial Queen's Park Hotel.

6. S31 hotel in the middle.

7. Phrom Phong BTS station.

8. Sukhumvit 33/35.

9. Sukhumvit 41 to 49. Adelphi Grande on the left

Aquamarine pool bar, JW Marriott Khao Lak, SW Thailand

2012-01-05T21:02:00.000+08:00

Staying at around this pool section is very convenient for you to get a cool drink or taking a snack. You just swim accross from your room to the bar and get it. No need to get changed for a lunch.

The cafe Waterfront, JW Marriott Khao Lak, SW Thailand

2012-01-04T21:30:00.000+08:00

Waterfront is the biggest restaurant of this resort. It has 3 indoor sections and a big open balcony big enough to accommodate hundreds of guests taking breakfast. The layout of this resort is indeed well designed, unlike certain hotels (e.g. Peninsula BKK, Emporium Suites) don't have enough space for breakfast and keep guests waiting in long line.

The food of this cafe is quite above average. I especially like their burger and tuna salad which are made with some very fresh and selected ingredients. Again, the iced coffee is just like most other typical hotels with some heavy milk and syrup. The waiter even served more syrup and milk on the side. What also amazed me is their Tom Yam soup which is even better than their Thai restaurant Ta Krai.

BBQ seafood buffet, JW Marriott Khao Lak, SW Thailand

2012-01-03T22:05:00.000+08:00

The buffet offers some very nice meat and seafood but sadly they were not handled well. First I don't like propane stove to grill food. Second, the meat wasn't massaged a bit first or at least marinated a little bit with some herbs and oil. Then they rely on the various BBQ sauce for the guests to choose. So I had to try some of the sauce but it's just not on my appetite. However, for those who like heavy sauce, this is a bargain deal - THB1,299 net. *photos taken on my waterproof compact camera Panasonic TS3. Kind of worried if it rained all of a sudden.

The facilities, JW Marriott Khao Lak, SW Thailand

2012-01-01T21:53:00.005+08:00

Photos 1-4: Late check-out lounge: spacious resting area with lockers and showers. This is very thoughtful for those who either check out earlier for a half day tour outside or need to check out by noon but the flight is in the evening. This resort has a tennis court but just I didn't take any photo.

Night view to JW Marriott Khao Lak, SW Thailand

2012-01-01T21:46:00.000+08:00

*some of the below photos (lagoon pool) were on a very long exposure shutter to even 20 and 25 seconds, even at ISO800/1600. The resort may be a bit too dim to some people.

MMXII

2011-12-31T22:45:00.001+08:00

Sakura, Japanese restaurant of JW Marriott Khao Lak, SW Thailand

2011-12-30T23:36:00.003+08:00

When I first looked at the name of this restaurant, I had my slight prejudice that it wouldn't be good. So in order to find it out, just one meal doesn't hurt. Glad that my opportunity cost was well justified. Besides, I am surprised with all the food being served in nice good quality, from sashimi, teppanyaki to even the difficult buffet deep fried stuff tempura. I had 3 orders of teppanyaki beef filet, as they serve quality tenderloin beef filet. THB990 net is really a big bargain. Check the last 2nd and 3rd photos. See that kid getting the rice. I noticed he and his sister got several plate of steamed rice and teriyaki chicken and each plate is at least with 2-3 bowls of rice. What's more, even some other guests keep getting steamed rice. Out of curiosity, I had to get some (the last 3rd photo). It's some very nice fresh imported Japanese rice - so fragrant with rice aroma! That's why I could still finish it even after the dessert.

Ta Krai, Thai restaurant of JW Marriott Khao Lak, SW Thailand

2011-12-29T22:57:00.004+08:00

This Thai restaurant is a bit lower than my expectation. Dishes are pretty salty or sweet. The good thing is that when I asked for less spicy, it's really not that spicy. I think I made a mistake in asking so, in considering this is a resort Thai restaurant that the chef should be more cautious in reducing the spicy level.

Olive, Mediterranean restaurant of JW Marriott Khao Lak, SW Thailand

2011-12-29T00:49:00.004+08:00

Visited here on a less busy day and so the quality and service were in a better shape, as compared to a re-visit that the quality and service dropped due to more customers. Anyway, on the first visit, all the dishes are impressive. The Chef came to suggest us take the freshly imported buffalo cheese (photo 2). Turned out it's superb. The scallop (photo 2) is very fresh on a bed of cauliflower mousse. Then the seafood soup (photo 3) is very aromatic in a nice tomato stock. The pizza is in a nice dough and a right amount of cheese, baked in wood fire oven. Photo 5 shows another main course - grilled sea bass filet. The chef used some very fresh ingredients and cook without much seasoning, just a very nice butter lemon sauce to go with. Desserts are Panna Cota and Warm choco. cake in ginger sauce.

Breakfast at the cafe Waterfront, JW Marriott Khao Lak, SW Thailand

2011-12-29T00:04:00.007+08:00

In general, the buffet is pretty nice in terms of variety and food quality. The drink station has some healthy smoothies such as mint/pineapple/orange, strawberry/papaya, banana/mango...etc. in addition to the standard fruit juice. Bread and pastry are pretty good. Besides, I am impressed with the staff friendly and discerning services that they would remember some of the guests' preference. The staff would serve some freshly made cake or pastry like the brownie on the last photo.

Pool access room, JW Marriott Khao Lak, SW Thailand

2011-12-27T23:16:00.002+08:00

The room size is almost the same as the pool view room (on the 2nd and 3rd floor), but it's convenient for you to jump in the pool from your room. This room is pretty nice on an easier access to the aquamarine pool.

Deluxe pool view room, JW Marriott Khao Lak, SW Thailand

2011-12-27T22:45:00.003+08:00

This resort has all the rooms with pool view and it's in a pretty low rise building at just 3 storey units. Took a corner high floor of a panoramic view of the row 3 and 4 units to the kid's pool and aquamarine pool. The deco. is in a typical Thai style. Personally it's a bit too deep wooden color to me. The room's facilities are all in good order, from the air-con. to the bath room amenities. The only drawback is the bed's mattress which are in some heavy body shape. I had some back pain due to such a dip in the mattress. Even though I later on changed to a pool access room (to be reported later), the same problem came.

The lagoon pools, JW Marriott Khao Lak, southern west Thailand

2011-12-24T21:12:00.000+08:00

This resort has 4 aisles of canals surrounding 4 big pools. Photo 1-3 is the main pool in front of the hotel lobby. 4-5. the canals. 6. pond outside the Thai and Japanese restaurants. 7-9. the kids' pool. 10-15. the Aquamarine pool. 16-20. the Infinity pool.

It is actually double the size of Sheraton Hua Hin. It takes you hours to swim thru' all the water area. Good for families to spend a few days without going out. The drawback is that they don't have handle for the elderly or young to go into the water from their pool access rooms. Some of the canals are at 1.5 m. Besides, the water flow and filtering need to be improved. In some canal area, the water is stagnant. In the night time, there isn't enough pool light which is quite dangerous. Night view photos (actually not much due to very limited pool light) to be posted later.

Aerial view to Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea

2011-12-23T22:42:00.000+08:00

1. Sattathip (south of Pattaya). 2. Koh Lim (left end), Koh Sam Sao (middle behind), Koh Ang Tong (right end) (25 km west of Koh Samui). 3. near Surat Thani (east coast of Southern Thailand). 4. Phang Nga scenic stones. 5. Sarasin bridge [linking Thailand mainland (left) and Phuket (right)]. 6. Mai Khao beach (in between Phuket Airport and Sarasin bridge), the lower left is Anantara resort, Marriott Vacations Club, JW Marriott Mai Khao. Right of the lake towards the beach is The Sala resort, Further right of it is Renaissance resort.

Khuk Khak beach, Khao Lak, Phang Nga, Thailand

2011-12-22T11:29:00.007+08:00

I walked southward on this west coast of Southern Thailand and if I insisted on walking further in another 20km, that would be Thai Mueng beach where my best friends were there without me. So spiritually I could have re-joined them in Thai Mueng beach. If I further walked another 20 km southward, then I'd be in Natai beach, where my favourite resort Aleenta is. I could just stop by and simply say hello to friends over there. It may take about 6 hours in total if I walk for 40km.

Khuk Khak beach is a quiet beach and the sand is so golden sparkling as if they were speaking to you. It's also very powdery as if you were walking in melty cotton. Check the last few photos, some interesting tree-like pattern is left on the receding area.

Hagen Daz, Windsor House, Causeway Bay, HK

2011-12-22T00:33:00.002+08:00

Hagen Daz has been doing pretty well in HK with more and more new shops in many prime location. Yet, most of the shops are having a good business. My nephew specially requested his most favourite warm chocolate cake (photo 2). I had a small bite and know why my nephew insisted on it. I took a green tea shake and it's a bit milky to me. My sister took a waffle (photo 3). I of course had another bite. That's really worth waiting for a table.

Pizza Express Tai Koo Shing HK

2011-12-20T23:50:00.002+08:00

This shop often requires advance reservation or you would wait in line. Or during weekend, I would come here earlier for a table that I need to return at 8pm. Their pizza dough and bread are so good that I wouldn't leave any on the plate. This time I tried their chicken green salad. Crunchy veggie, nice balsamic dressing with juicy tender chicken filet. Then on the photo 2, I had a meat ball dish. Another impressive dish. The tomato sauce is excellent, not too sweet and not too salty, and it is so tomato. Photo 3 is a truffle with mushroom pizza. Needless to say, not a single piece was left on the plate. The dessert is Chocolate cake on the left, fig ice cream in the middle and mini dough with chocolate spread on the right. The fig ice cream is so aromatic with the dried fig flavour. The other 2 are also very nice.

Abandoned track, BKK

2011-12-19T23:30:00.000+08:00

Guess quite many of my friends have passed this abandoned track (walking from Phloenchit BTS to JW Marriott.). It is always impressive for me. Finally I took a photo of it, and post-processed it in faded color and added grain.

After You, next to you, up to you and....

2011-12-18T21:19:00.000+08:00

These 2 shops are just opposite or next to the famous dessert shop After You on soi 13 Thonglor. Wonder if there will be even more ongoing around this area, as "Before You", "Follow You"..., or in the other way "After Me", "After Him", "After It".... Very derivatively creative.

Hotel All Seasons Victory Monument BKK

2011-12-17T22:17:00.000+08:00

This hotel is an alternate budget choice in the Phahonyotin area (a bit north of BKK downtown), in only 2-3 minute walking distance to Sanam Bao BTS station, especially for those who don't stay often in the hotel and those who just want a clean room to sleep. The room rate is just around THB1,200 to 1,600. FYI, further inside the soi is the Abloom serviced apartment.

廣東燒味茶餐廳 Guang Dong BBQ shop, Wanchai HK

2011-12-17T00:38:00.003+08:00

These were taken by Pixmation on one of his HK breakfasts. Apparently, the plastic bottles and the tray caught up his attention. Also, the BBQ going with noodle soup 瀨粉 is something he missed. What caught his attention is the poster of how Mr. Clinton commented in Cantonese... :) BTW, Wanchai is really a place for certain Thai community. Check the post in Thai on photo 3 too.

Hakodate ramen shop, Quarry Bay HK

2011-12-15T22:55:00.002+08:00

This shop was on the Tai Koo Shing road (a bit opposite across the ex-Crystal Jade Tai koo shing) 7-8 years ago and very welcome to the Japanese community in Tai Koo Shing. It was so crowded that I didn't get a chance of checking this out. The shop was then moved to Tai Koo Place and its followers kept on. I was lucky to see an empty table at 8pm the other night. Unfortunately, the food is not that impressive. The curry is too sweet and not what a Japanese curry should be. The noodle soup base is so so. The chilled spinach was kept in the fridge too long that it has some fridge smell. No need to check for any table in this shop from now on.

Starbucks, Central Festival Pattaya, Thailand

2011-12-15T00:25:00.002+08:00

The deco. of this Starbucks is pretty impressive - spacious, higher ceiling and the cozy color and material used. Besides, it's not that busy and if you want a quiet place for a coffee with friends and that you wanna stay away from the busy area of downtown Pattaya, it's a good place for a drink.

Summer Palace, InterContinental Hotel BKK

2011-12-13T23:59:00.000+08:00

When I look back to the food we took at this place, it's interesting to see a roasted suckling pig together with dim sum. Thanks for my friends having such a thoughtful meal on such a happy occasion. Mood over the food indeed. I even forgot how the food was.

Chu cafe, True Fitness Tower, Asoke BKK

2011-12-12T22:32:00.002+08:00

TC recent post reminded me of the time I visited here. I didn't take it on purpose, but the 2 staff in the counter were working busy with their phones most of the time. Then take a look at photo 2. The left one is their so-called "xxx" dark choco. The right one is iced mocha. The front is hot mocha. Nothing wrong with my camera. This is the true color of these drinks. So the taste is "milk" and "sugar" with about 10% of chocolate and coffee flavour.

Nan Xiang Siu Lon Bao shop, Causeway Bay HK

2011-12-11T22:03:00.008+08:00

Couldn't visit the original shop in Yue Yuan in Shanghai. So I came back their HK branch and I got more than its renowned siu lon bao, and they are:

1. drunken chicken. 2. drunken pig's knuckle. 3. fish filet in vinegar soup. 4. spare ribs in plum sauce (*this is the Chinese preserved salty sweet plums.). 5. spinach in fish soup. 6. Tan Tan noodle. 7. deep fried pork chop. 8. stewed meat balls (lion head). 9. siu lon bao. 10. steamed veggie bun. 11. mini dumplings in rice wine sweet. 12. pancake with red bean paste.

All are very nice, esp. the drunken dishes, the soup, the pork chop and the spare ribs in plum sauce, and most of all, their must-try siu lon bao. This branch has even further improved with their other Shanghai dishes, as compared to my visit of 1.5 years ago. Very impressive.

花園餐廳, back in time with Fa Yuen Restaurant

2011-12-09T23:57:00.002+08:00

This restaurant has been almost 50 years old. Remember the black pepper steak on the hot sizzling plate (photo 3)?

Shadow yoga, at Aleenta Phang Nga, Phuket

2011-12-08T23:37:00.003+08:00

Thanks my friends for all the below difficult posing. Note they were on a narrow slippery curd with water.

MO Deli shop, Siam Paragon BKK

2011-12-07T21:48:00.003+08:00

Supposed to come here for a drink, but the highlight menu shows a lovely cold cut platter with baguette at THB250++. No matter how full I was, I immediately ordered one. The cold cut is very aromatic and not that salty. The baguette is of course very fresh and crispy. Check photo 1. It's the lemon tart with some raspberry sauce (see that mini tube. You just inject it into the filling. So the lemon custard with a fresh flow of raspberry sauce. So zesty! Highly recommended. *remarks: only visit this deli shop or the one at Emporium, service and food wise. Better stay away from L'espace on the M floor.

Bio House Suk 39 BKK

2011-12-07T21:31:00.003+08:00

Came to the house gym of this condo, and in the meantime I wanna try the swimming pool (as the pool of Plaza Athenee is pretty disappointing). This pool and the condo. remind me of the pool of PST City Home in some way - very board view with lots of sunshine. However, the pool is a bit too organic with some algae on the tiles, really entitled from the name of this condo. "Bio" House. Good to know more about the different managements' work of some BKK condos.

Paul Frank at Central World BKK

2011-12-07T21:24:00.003+08:00

This monkey is getting another revival not only in HK, but also BKK.

源記茶餐廳, Yuen Kee Restaurant TST HK

2011-12-06T23:24:00.003+08:00

Yuen Kee started its business on Hart Avenue in Tsimshatsui in the late 80's. The shop was pretty small at that time with only 7-8 tables, serving a simple menu of beef brisket/belly..etc. noodles as well as wonton and beef balls. The shop had a very strong ventilator fanning the strong aroma of its beef stew. That's how a 4D promotion of its beef stew. The shop is now a big local style tea restaurant re-located on Granville Road, serving not only beef noodle but also BBQ and stir fried dishes. I somehow still go for their beef noodle soup. Think of the old time how I took their beef noodle by myself on the quiet Hart Avenue of the 80's, out of the hustling crowded Tsimshatsui.

Tea Buffet, Hyatt Regency, TST HK

2011-12-05T23:11:00.004+08:00

The Chinese restaurant and the cafe of Hyatt Regency were my most favourite place for business and leisure meals way back in the 90's. None of my clients felt disappointed with the food and services back then. Besides, its convenient location next to the subway made me so punctual for my business appointments. Quite a no. of my influential business deals were also concluded over those business meals. The most striking scene was on 1st April, 2003. I had a contract signing at the cafe where there was only one table occupied - my table. Why? It's the SARS time in HK. We made it but at a huge cost of thousands of lives. Their sacrifice taught us on personal hygiene like using a pair of common chopsticks, getting accustomed to wearing face mask when sick, washing hands often...etc. Unfortunately, some people from certain least affected countries take these as jokes, or I can say humiliating or discriminating jokes.

The below photos are taken on a recent visit at their tea buffet. The food quality is above average, but service so so.

醉瓊樓, Tsui King Lau, Wanchai HK

2011-12-04T23:16:00.002+08:00

The name of this restaurant is not patented but it often reminds me of the first time my mother brought me to the one in Hong Kong Mansion (Causeway Bay). I still remember the deco. of that restaurant is like what's in photo 1, but so crowded and noisy. The first time I tried a chicken in such a aromatic salty flavour. I was so impressed with it even though I might be just around 5 years old.

On and off it's hard to find a nice chicken among the various Tsui King Lau. Until 2003, my best friend and I found this one in Wanchai. Their chicken is awesome and not even a single time I would be disappointed. At this latest visit, I tried their bitter bourd with pomfret. I was thrilled and even inspired to try this dish by myself. I like the way they used bitter gourd to shimmer the pan fried pomfret and the black bean sauce isn't too overwhelming. Everything goes so well with each other.

六國酒店, Gloucester Luk Kwok Hotel Wanchai HK

2011-12-03T21:51:00.005+08:00

One of my best friends often studied where to find some fine cuisine. It was in the late 80's, I was brought to Canton Heen of Luk Kwok Hotel. That was a very impressive Cantonese meal. As my friend migrated out of HK, I seldom visited the Canton Heen.

In the early 00's, my another best friend and I came to Le Menu (the cafe) of Luk Kwok, after she talked about her old time of Wanchai. Le Menu was pretty quiet with only 8-10 tables but the buffet wasn't too bad. Most of all, they served Hagen Daz. That really made my friend and I put a 2 extra star remarks. What's more, they serve some very nice steamed chicken made by Canton Heen.

Later on, I brought my father and sisters' families to try the buffet of Le Menu. Back then, the deco. was still very 70's hotel style with those partition sitting couch and table. There my nieces and nephew found their own small happy world and for the first time they were so free to take any food they like. I still recall their happy faces, and also my father's happy face in seeing his grand kids eating and having fun. There he mentioned Luk Kwok was the boarding place for their sam pan rowing from Shaukiwan when Shaukiwan was isolated from the road transportation. Luk Kwok did mean something to him.

in 2004, Le Menu got renovated and became like this. It then became popular as a buffet hot spot due to its reasonable price at HK$168 net for dinner buffet. As it was getting more and more popular and crowded, we gradually passed it. To me, every few other months, I would come here for a lunch or dinner. The food is average now but the place still means something to me, just like how my father called it as a symbolic destination for getting ashore - Take a Rest...

越棧 - Viet's Choice Vietnamese restaurant, The One, Tsimshatsui HK

2011-12-02T23:09:00.011+08:00

In the next few posts, I am going to post a no. of restaurants which I have seen them grow or have some good old memory with them. To begin with, here is Viet's Choice having their big shop in The One (shopping mall).

On a fall autumn evening of 2003, and it's just only 2 months I moved my office to Wanchai and that year was a tiring year (SARS). I felt a bit flu-like feeling with some headache and muscle ache after work. Then my best friend and I walked to Chung Yuen Street and passed by this restaurant which was just a small run shop with only 5-6 tabled packed each other. The strong and nice aroma of some ox bone soup came out from the door. There I went in for a very hearty beef noodle soup. This shop was then one of my favourite regular choices whenever I think of a noodle soup. So as a word-of-mouth, the shop got popular and even my another best friend who seldom visited a local restaurant at this grade (as he often only went to hotel outlets) came here once a week in 2004 and 2005. Unfortunately, the shop couldn't carry on in its origin place for some reason but then left for Shatin for continuing their business. Then Nga Trang came in Hopewell Center and so I forwent going to Shatin for a Vietnamese noodle soup.

On and off the name of this shop wasn't patented and quite many others used the same name, including one in Kornhill shopping mall (Taikooshing).

As I found out this shop's name again in The One, I thought it's another copy cat. Until one night a familiar aroma like an old friend around me, I decided to go in and what's even more a pleasant surprise is the same Viet's platter I could find on the same menu and same price - HK$88 (photo 4). The noodle soup and this platter were all my and my best friends' favourites. Wish I could bring them to this restaurant once again....

Chor Moung, Sky Dining, Siam Discovery Center BKK

2011-12-01T23:44:00.006+08:00

When I searched the English romanized name of this Thai restaurant on google, I typed "Siam Discovery Center Sky Dining Thai restaurant". There it showed TC's post of this restaurant in top priority, not even could I find it on Siam Discovery own page.
Everything seems to be in a loop. A decade ago, friends and I came to Siam Discovery Center quite often for the first generation of Oishi's buffet and shopping at Loft. In the subsequent 6-7 years, we almost forgot this mall. Half year ago, the level 6 & 7 of this mall have been renovated and several restaurants came in, including this one. Fellows pointed at this restaurant out of curiosity. As TC arrived, we got a confident affirmative note that we came in a right restaurant. Not just confidence, but also my regular choices for some local Thai dishes further verify this restaurant is a nice one. What's more, its deco. and environment are so good for a sunny lunch.

Witch Pie Factory, Thong Lor, Sukhumvit BKK

2011-11-30T23:35:00.003+08:00

Never thought that we could try some authentic British breakfast in Bangkok. There it is a British run restaurant serving a wide variety of pies. The decoration of the shop is also very British.

Central World food court BKK

2011-11-29T23:19:00.004+08:00

Every now and then I like visiting food courts in Bangkok. The food may not be the best but it's pretty entertaining to check out each food stall of what they serve. My regular choices are often a som tam (green papaya salad) and a noodle soup or Pad Thai, with a dessert of herbal jelly. Just at about THB100-150, I can have a very full meal. This food court is on the top floor of Central World, behind the supermarket.

Pattaya Grilled chicken, Pattaya

2011-11-29T23:11:00.004+08:00

Have been to Pattaya about 4 times but haven't tried this famous grilled chicken restaurant. It turned out I should have visited here years ago. This time the food is pretty disappointing and especially the grilled chicken is dry chewy like a cartoon paper, though the seasoning of the chicken is not bad. All the other food are at average.

Saladaeng Cafe by Jim Thompson BKK

2011-11-29T22:49:00.004+08:00

Unexpectedly a very old photo, over 10 years ago, showed up and at that time my Sharp digital camera only had a 640x480 pixel resolution (photo 1). I always recall how the Moo Yang was served on a cutting board and it was so juicy and aromatic. This cafe has been renovated over 5-6 times and it's still one of my favourite choices for bringing some friends for some half local/int'l Thai cuisine. Personally as in the cooking technique and ingredients used, I prefer Saladaeng Cafe to the other local authentic Thai restaurants. The latter ones are usually either pretty salty/sweet and/or in a slow-heat cooking. At a recent visit, this restaurant is still better than its original shop at Jim Thompson, and most of all I brought my best friends to visit here.

Photos by Pixmation, in Phang Nga Thailand

2011-11-28T22:13:00.001+08:00

The photos below are posted at the courtesy of Pixmation. A reflection of the local living in the west coast of Phang Nga, Southern Thailand.

Racing MO boat on Chao Phrya river

2011-11-27T12:23:00.001+08:00

Video: Dance party on Nan Jing East Road, Shanghai

2011-11-27T11:51:00.001+08:00

Video: Wanchai and HKCEC

2011-11-27T11:22:00.001+08:00

Ryo Tei 亮亭 Ramen shop, Taikooshing HK

2011-11-26T22:18:00.000+08:00

Seen this shop changed from a local tea restaurant, manning store, congee shop, tutorial center and now a Japanese noodle shop. None of them could have survived for over a year, probably due to its inconvenient location (opposite Island East). Lately this shop came to take the challenge. The shop claimed for its authentic Southern Japanese ramen. The soup base is very thick and actually much too thick for me that I'd rather treat it as a sauce, though it's pretty tasty. The noodle texture is at average. So at HK$70-80 for a bowl of Japanese noodle, it's not that worth.

泉章居 - Chuen Tseng Kui, Causeway Bay Plaza HK

2011-11-25T23:15:00.004+08:00

It was a big news years ago when his restaurant sold its premises on Percival Street and moved in Causeway Bay Plaza. So the end result is that the old chef can't get used to a new kitchen with all the modern utensils. Its fans and followers gradually left. The last time I gave it a third trial was in 2008 and it was still much below expectation. Out of curiosity, I gave it a fourth trial lately. I am glad that its renowned chicken and some other dishes [fish maw, mushroom & sea cucumber casserole (photo 8)] are coming back after such lengthy struggling years. *photo 2 shows how the old time of washing cups and bowls.

A grocery on Huai Hai Rd 淮海路, Shanghai

2011-11-25T00:00:00.004+08:00

Checking a local store or grocery would simply give you an idea of how life it is with the local people, especially for me to smell the food. That's really exciting for me. I really wanna grab a bucket of the drunken crab (photo 1) & preserved salty pork and golden ham (photo 8), as well as some jelly fish (photo 11).

Horrible dinner at Wan Hao Xuan 萬豪軒, JW Marriott Shanghai

2011-11-23T23:26:00.003+08:00

Due to my good impression of The Pearl of Marriott City Wall Beijing, I thought the Chinese restaurants of this JW Marriott shouldn't be missed. The answer is "so wrong"! This one is double worse than Wan Hao of JW Marriott HK and BKK.

First the drunken chicken - it's not either with any wine or chicken flavour. So I asked the waitress "is it a drunken chicken?". I pointed out it's not with any wine and chicken flavour. Then she replied "our drunken chicken is in a special cooking style that light taste is the main point.". I kept on telling her "this is Shanghai and this dish is a symbolic dish of Shanghai cuisine. This is not about the cooking style. It's about the essence of this renowned dish...etc.". Then she handed me a comment form to fill in. At first, I did write down what I feel. However, after the other dishes, I crossed out my comments and decided this restaurant doesn't deserve a single word of comments. The pork terrine is too hard and yet a strong smell of fridge. The soup is average. Another horrible dish is the stir fried beef. Check how small the portion is. Besides, the thickening is in a wrong step not even a beginner chef should make this mistake. See how those thickening be in bits and pieces. That means the chef didn't stir in well.

As I left the restaurant, I found out it got a best restaurant. Really amazing!

陸家嘴路 - Lu Jia Tsui Rd (Financial district) Shanghai

2011-11-23T00:47:00.004+08:00

This area of Pudong is the finanial district of Shanghai city. Quite a number of Hong Kong property investments can be seen here. Check photo 2 - the building in the middle looks a bit familiar and what's more in coincidence a Standard Chartered Bank is next to the right of it.

日落浦西 - Sunset at Pu Xi, Shanghai

2011-11-22T23:19:00.006+08:00

法租界，英租界 ﹣ 這些字已全然埋在歷史課本裡。畢竟黃浦江將兩岸時空頓挫出一幅鮮明的歷史對照。對岸還是彼岸，令人困惑，令人著迷。背影日落下的浦西，晒褪一切界線，拾回自己，耀目炫生。