Lei Garden, IFC II, Central, HK

Lei Garden used to be one of my regular restaurants I visited. After it opened its branch in IFC, I finally gave it a re-visit. The shop is so busy in asking the customers to set at 2 dining time - one at 6pm and the other at 7:30pm. I somehow get a bit annoyed with this kind of set dining time. What's more, the kitchen wasn't efficient enough in delivering the dishes right after I made a quick order. The funny thing we were still given a bill for a signal to leave at 7:25pm even though the dessert didn't arrive. Though the bill was given with much apology, the gesture wasn't nice. I further commented it's the fault of their kitchen, not on us.

Food wise, it's half and half to me from this visit. The best is their stir fried bean sprouts and dried scallop 桂花瑤柱 (below photo #4). Very nice stir frying technique. Not watery and very aromatic with bean sprout even burnt a bit. This is the hardest part to burn the bean sprouts. The worst is the stir fried veggie - so watery and wasn't stir fried with any chicken stock. Whenever I see this stir fried veggie, I need to thank for my TV tutor Madam Lee Tsang Pang Chin and I learned from her in stir frying veggie without too much water. We need to differentiate stir frying and soaking.

We also ordered a lamb casserole but it's much too salty. When we asked for some fresh lettuce to go with it, the waiter didn't know what that's for. So they really don't know how to eat the best of this Cantonese lamb casserole.

The soup Pig's lung with dried/fresh ba choy金銀菜豬肺 is pretty nice. Of course it's nice as the price is nice too at HK$168 for 2 person portion. When I tried to order the sweet and sour pork, the waiter recommended their signature dish spare ribs baked in heavy sauce. It was pretty disappointing since it didn't have the "baking" aroma and the sauce is too sweet.

As for the dessert, the mango pomelo sweet (it's originated from Lei Garden) is a must and glad that it's still the best. Then I tried the 龍脷葉燉琥珀. A bit too sweet to me but very aromatic with the 龍脷葉.

Busy Sunday harbour, HK

Light up their life, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, HK

I was asked why I carried such a big flash in such a sunny day. So in the below situation where it's on the backlight and a big crowd of tourists are jammed in front of those idol statute. I was amazed at how powerful of the 580EX flash is. I stood from afar about 30 feet away and zoomed to take these photos.

You the person whom you really don't know in time lapse

Cleaned up some old stuff and found out a piece of paper I made some comic description on the cat I once took care of in Palm Springs, CA way back so many years ago. There a few words caught up my attention "Get a life". Why so special? About 3-4 years ago a HK singer released an album titled as "Get a life". These few words was a talk of town as to what it really means. I was also asked about this question but apparently I got out of nowhere. I didn't give a clear answer and even found it a stranger to me. This piece of paper is like a trigger to my old time memory and that was even before the handover of HK. The time the palm trees whispered. The

AM, PM - APM, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, HK

This mall has established Kwun Tong into a new era and supposed it's the phrase 5 of Millenium City (a group of high rise commercial buildings). The mall is told to run 24 hours a day and a hot place for general public to go for overnight sports event watching, such as olympic game. The name apm stands for am and pm.

My new toy - Canon 580 EX II Speed Lite

Today I got a new toy and actually it's under the influence of Pixmation. I used to take photos without flash unless it's critically necessary. So tonight my apt. is like an ET in the house - so many flashes. In coincidence I bought a black glass stand. The below 3 were taken at the 50mm lens at 1/200 shutter speed, F6.3, ISO 100 and flash default. There are lots of setting of the flash which I need to explore later on. P.S. the below iPhone is still sealed.

At a right side 90 degree bounce back from the door (wooden brown color).

2. Then I turn the flash a bit towards at just 10 degree (80 degree to the right). That's in quite much difference since the light bounced off from the wall and mixed a bit to the flash side light to the front of the box.

3. Then I took the TV screen to bounce back the light at 90 degree (to the right). It came out there is a gradual lighting on the box.

My cooking - 参鬚蜜棗茶 Ginseng's root date drink

In the early stage of my Bangkok trips, Yaowara was a must for every night supper. I went in the Eastern bird's nest shop. Before any order, I was given a bowl of ginseng's root tea (not sure about the exact English term) Felt so good after a day of walking and eating heavily. This is a very good tactic for getting customers relax and of course good for selling their bird's nest dessert. Since then, this ginseng's root drink has been deep in my mind. Every now and then, I would make this drink to refresh myself. I would add some date and rock sugar to make it a bit sweeter. Good for enhancing your respiratory system (提氣). The date is to balance the little hot nature of ginseng. That's one of the few things in Bangkok I got inspired.

Xia Mian Guan 夏麵館, Windsor House, Causeway Bay, HK

Got a bit unexpected with the food quality of this noodle shop - a new branch in Windsor House. All the food are not heavily seasoned and not too sweet or salty. It's not oily either. So it may not be that local Shanghai style but as long as they make it right, why bother.

Be green, part 2, Causeway Bay, HK

After the last photo about this nice construction site, I passed by it tonight again and felt like I should have it from another angle so that it's easier to see how they put the green alongside the construction site.

斧頭窟村, 淺水碼頭村, Shaukiwan's hill at 1980, HK

Had a chat with a very senior taxi driver. We talked about the old time of Shaukiwan and the devastating fire in Aldrich Bay (愛秩序灣, now called 愛蝶灣) in the early 70's. My grand ma's work place was gone as well as my cousin's houses burnt down. She sadly sighed to me "有水放水，無水散水" [Money for water (to fight against fire), no money then we disperse]. That's probably one of the few times I saw her crying and that ended her work from Aldrich Bay. What's more, my apt. was filled with more than 15 people (only 400 square feet) and lots of Japanese printed military dollar notes (軍票) (as those were exchanged for food during war time and some of my cousins still kept those in hope for a chance to turn them into money - and there were at least 5-6 big buckets of such notes.).

Anyway, the chat got me some names which actually I forgot, just like 淺水碼頭村 (where should be left outside of the below photo). When I checked on this photo, I tried to come up with the name of this village. Bingo, it's 斧頭窟村! So happy finally I could caught back this name. Then right outside of this photo is 南安坊村 and the most famous one is 聖十字徑村 on the hillside of Sai Wan Ho. So much memory of all these hillside village. That's Shaukiwan and Sai Wan Ho. Now this place is replaced by many Government houses.

Well, on the front right it's a manufacturing company called Tai Chung 大中. Then front left is the 康元製罐廠.

Another remarkable news was that a plane crashed into the upper part of this hill. That plane carried gold. A guy went to the scene and picked up much gold and got rich. There he dumped his wife. So his wife got insane and wandered in the street with her 20 feet long hair and dirty body. Her name is 筲箕灣皇后. I saw her quite many times and of course ran away. Later on she got caught up and forced to clean up. Due to her skin being unexposed to fresh air, she got a serious skin infection and died. Such a sad ending but good for her to rest in peace after all those years of being despised.

Green Green Green, Causeway Bay, HK

I would say this construction site is the most impressive and thoughtful one. It's the site of our old friend Mitsukoshi Causeway Bay.

Have a nice weekend, Wooloomooloo, The One, TST, HK

Met a friend from the States today over lunch. Found out a coincidence about this shopping mall The One. At first, I thought of bringing her to a place which we could have a panoramic view of HK, and there we came to this steak house Wooloomooloo. Then we chatted on the last time she was in HK, getting seriously sick after a long haul flight in 2003. I brought her to a clinic of Tung Ying Mansion (where exactly this mall is now). So 7 years later, I brought her back to the same location but this time a relaxing lunch. What's more, we both at the same noticed "beef burguignon" on the menu and thought of the Meryl Streep's movie "Julia vs Julia". That's really warm. Most of all, this place made this one perfect - tender, aromatic but not in thick heavy gravy. Finished the meal with a creme brulee and a good coffee. Gorgeous view in such a sunny warm weather. Have a nice weekend!