Restaurant Rave: Zuma

After many days of Chinese food binging, I was so ready to eat at a proper restaurant with more refined food. My favorite aunt was in Hong Kong towards the end of my trip and told me she would treat me out to lunch.

I was given a choice between Zuma and Sevva, and since I can never say no to Japanese food, I picked the former. It's a nice (and pricey) place but I thought the food made it worth it.


We started off with Hamachi and Toro Sashimi-- two of my favorites (as well as salmon- sashimi is the only way I really like it) A few bites of fresh raw fish was exactly what I needed. I was hungry, I was sick of Chinese at that point and I wanted something that tasted clean.

When I was pregnant, I don't know how I survived without being able to eat raw fish. I remember going out for sushi almost immediately after I gave birth. Some things are just so good, you only really need to slice them up and put them on a plate for people to enjoy. I think I will go out for sushi tomorrow.


Next up, we had crispy salmon skin sushi. OMG so good. I remember when I was younger, sushi was really just kani, tuna, tamago, uni, salmon or california maki. Thanks to progressive and fusion cuisine, we now have all sorts of yummy things in sushi! Others on the menu were their Vegetarian Sushi and Zuma Nigiri Zushi.


I know it is very Un-Pinoy like to enjoy bloody beef, but honestly, unless Medium Rare (medium AT MOST) I would rather not eat steak. This Australian steak was cooked to perfection- seared on the outside and nice and practically raw on the inside. I was going to get the Wagyu, but the price difference was HK$700! Whoa.

I can't wait to get to Sydney in December. All the steak and lamb I want at extremely low prices!


Lastly, we had this. I was extremely full but a meal is not a meal without dessert. I can't remember exactly what this is called but it was some sort of souffle, wafer chocolate raspberry thing that was soooooooo good. I had it with a glass of dessert wine and it was heavenly.

I wish I could eat the way I ate in Hong Kong here in Manila. Sadly, i don't walk 6 hours a day here :(

Tomorrow, I will post the last of my Hong Kong food posts and it will be on street food! Yipee!

Foodventures: The Hong Kong Files Part 2

What else do I love about Chinese food?

The Roasts.

OMG.

First meal in Hong Kong was Roast Goose in some hole in the wall spot with no name. There was a line filled with locals so i felt it was a safe choice.

The second day, for dinner I had the exact same thing in the exact same place.

There is a certain part of the cut they give that explodes with fat when you bite it. It's both delightful and disgusting at the same time, if you know what I mean. I know some people don't like the taste of goose (or duck) but I think it is one of the best, albeit most sinful things one can eat. I rarely eat Chinese in Manila, but when in Rome... or in this case, Hong Kong.

On day 3, I was wandering around Causeway Bay by myself trying not to shop when I got really hungry. I realized it was 3 pm and I hadn't eaten at all that day so I popped into the first spot I saw. No noodle soup in sight, which was what i really wanted, so I ordered...ha, no not goose but close. I had soya chicken and I thought I asked for brisket (w/c I know to be beef) and got this roasted pork instead. My boyfriend is Muslim and I don't eat pork around him, but even if we weren't together, pork was never my first option. I didn't want to argue with the grouchy looking lady so I just ate it.

it was the most beautiful mistake ever.


Nice pink meat, very thin layers of fat and really crispy skin. It was so good! I'm not even a fan of lechon!

I will continue my Hong Kong foodventures tomorrow! From street food to pricey resto Zuma!

Foodventures: The Hong Kong Files

I went to Hong Kong for a week with Abdul and two of my cousins. Although I had been there many times before, this was the first time I had to completely fend for myself from accommodations to food and transportation. Last two times I was there were for media events so everything was taken cared of (Something I REALLY miss about working in publishing is the heaps of free travel I got to do! *sigh*)When I was younger, I would be with relatives who would take care of everything also.

This time, I wanted to explore the city I had been to numerous times but never really got to know. Hong Kong to me was always about shopping and bargain finds. I noticed the older I get and more I travel though, that I enjoy travel FOR the travel. I like getting to know new places I visit and revisit now. Unlike before when going to the States just meant Disneyland and shopping, last year's New York visit had me walking tens of blocks just seeing things I never saw before. I have to agree with what Abdul said, It is very liberating to not be enslaved by the need to shop.

On this trip, we stayed at Tsim Sha Tsui. I Always feel more like I'm in China when I stay in the Kowloon side haha.


The desire for good food, on the other hand, is a completely different story. I love food. Obviously. I will pay bank for a good meal. I can honestly say I don't need to buy designer bags and expensive clothes, but man do I have an expensive palate. I don't do it intentionally, but whenever I go to restaurants I manage to zero in on the most expensive thing on the menu before I even know the price.

That of course, is not to say I don't enjoy the cheaper, but just as good food in life. I can eat at hole in the wall places and eat with as much gusto as a michelin star restaurant. As with fashion, I believe the same goes for food- you cannot buy taste. It doesn't really matter if you spent $1000 on a meal or $10, as long as it's good, then i would say it is worth it.

Noodles
When in Hong Kong, eat where the locals eat, as those are the places you will find the best Chinese food. Simple, "home-cooked", no-frills and very comforting. The good thing about Chinese food is that we Filipinos are very familiar with its flavors making it easy to think of as comfort food. Congee is a lot like our arroz caldo and the roasts with rice they have are a different version of our rice toppings and silogs.

Chinese noodle soups are in every other eatery in Hong Kong. Most are chicken broth based, with some using vegetable or meat broths. There is nothing complicated about this dish as it is basically broth, egg noodles, fishballs, beef balls or dumplings ( or anything else you can think of that acts like "ulam") and sometimes bokchoy. That is it really, but aside from arroz caldo at my house, few things are more comforting to me.

Cuttlefish balls with noodles on a rainy day. Location: Mong Kok

About to dig in. Yum.

On another night in Tsim Sha Tsui-- Wanton Noodle Soup.

Servings in Hong Kong are HUGE. I wondered at first why nobody there is really overweight, but after my week-long eating binge, right when I was afraid I gained 10 lbs, I looked at myself when I got home and realized that even if I DID eat alot, I walked 6 or more hours a day. My legs, butt and lower back are all still sore. Yay!

Next post: More Hong Kong Foodventures