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569 days ago

One thing I missed most about Australia is the Vietnamese food. If 5 star is the highest rating, I would rate Vietnamese food in Hong Kong as 2.5 at best. And no, not only that. I find that Hong Kong people, in general, does not know what good Vietnamese food is. I remember I once dined in a Phở restaurant with my Hong Kong colleague. When she saw me picking the basil leaves into my Phở soup, she asked me what I was doing. "I always thought the leaves were there as decoration. I didn't know you can eat them." I almost fell out of my chair when my colleague said that. I mean I can accept people's ignorance, but that was simply stupidity. Another time, I invited a finicky friend to eat Phở with me. "I want to eat Phở. Would you like to join?" "Oh sure! I love Vietnamese food," my finicky friend nodded. "You know, I am really not as finicky as you think I am. I am actually a very down-to-earth person," she added. "Great!" I ...

My First Korean Lesson

572 days ago

I finally arrived at my Korean class. I looked at the time on my phone. I realised I was already 15 minutes late! From the outside, I could hear the teacher speaking. I quietly opened the door. There was an awkward silence. "Sorry, I am late," I apologized as I walked inside the classroom. I tried to make as little distraction as possible. The teacher did not say anything. I found a seat and sat down. The teacher went on with her teaching, speaking in Korean that I could not yet understand. I looked around the classroom. There were about 15 people in the class. "Do you have a textbook?" the teacher suddenly paused and asked me. "Sorry, I did not know that I was meant to have a text book," I explained. "The school mailed my information package to the wrong address." "Oh, you can look at mine if you want," offered the girl who was sitting on my left side. "You were supposed to buy the textbook before you ...

Pasta de Waraku 和樂日式意粉屋

572 days ago

It was my very, very good friend Puffduck's birthday. She loves playing Wii, so this year I bought her a Wii and the Mario Kart game. I also took her to the recently-opened, Singaporean-owned, Japanese-styled restaurant, Pasta de Waraku, for lunch. The place is a recent gem I found in Citywalk, the new shopping complex sitting amidst the Tsuen Wan area. We had salad, pasta and pizza. It was my third time dining at this restaurant. I must say their shiso, cod roe, and garlic spaghetti, as well the cod roe and potato pizza are the best pasta and pizza I have ever eaten in Hong Kong. The spaghetti was al dente, and there were just the right amount of ingredients to cover the pasta. The moisture of the spaghetti was well controlled -- slightly dry on the outside, yet moist on the inside. I swear I could taste the 'wok hei' in the pasta. I often make shiso pasta at home. So if I say the Pasta de Waraku's shiso spaghetti is good, it must be really, ...

Watch This Space 十面舞伏

575 days ago

This ballet performance was truly a gem, like a sapphire hidden in a cultural desert, discovered when I least expect it. Watch This Space (十面舞伏) is one of Hong Kong Ballet's 2008 performances at Sheung Wan Civic Center (上環文娛中心), comprising eight smaller work pieces choreographed by the company's rising stars. It was a rare opportunity for me to see what Hong Kong dancers and choreographers are capable of. I thoroughly enjoyed all eight pieces of work. In particular: the flexibility and body movements of Yuh Egami (江上悠) in Collage of One 《一一》; the color, freedom and vibrancy of Nothing 《零感覺》 choreographed by Li Yiran (李怡燃), with special mention to Jonathan Mangosing (高瀚林) and William Lin's (林立峯) performance; and the emotion and rhythm in Abush 《埋伏》 choreographed by Li Jiabo's (李嘉博) Honestly, I thought just watching any one of the eight pieces would have made my money worth. Watch This Space English Official Website: ...

Modern Queen's Restaurant 新皇后餐廳

575 days ago

In response to my last episode of lunch horror, I believe I have found the best Hong-Kong-style minced beef rice (窩蛋免治牛肉飯) in town! Modern Queen's Restaurant (新皇后餐廳) is situated in Sham Tseng. I was not sure if the restaurant has any relationship with the better-known Queen's Cafe at Festival Walk, but the old man owner -- who also seems to be the only person serving us -- told me that his restaurant's chef used to work there. I have tried their minced beef rice for a number of times, both lunch and dinner. It was always full of minced beef and fresh tomatoes. In fact, I find there was so much sauce that there was just not enough rice! The snap peas, which accompanied the rice, were surprisingly sugary and snappy too. A word of reminder -- the minced beef rice tastes much better at dinner than at lunch. Also, the restaurant usually serve the minced beef rice with a sunny side up. If you want the real authentic taste of minced beef rice, remember to ask the ...