Hancham, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Let’s take a time capsule back to March 2015, when I was in Hong Kong. I should have known better when I was going out with my aunt and uncle, they never disappoint in the places they take me to. So, I was disappointed in myself for not lugging my camera around during our day of shopping. So, I sufficed with my phone camera, because I decided to feed you all as well #bloggerproblems.

Like many other Hong Kong eateries, Hancham is found inside an old building and would easily be missed if you were not familiar with the area. My aunt and uncle had actually stumbled across this gem while scanning the streets for food.

If the wait staff speaking limited Cantonese and resulting to me speaking to them in English was no indication of a more traditional Korean restaurant, then the photo of Big Bang’s leader, G-Dragon would have been.  I must say, the inner fangirl in me screamed a little, as this was totally unexpected – I had to keep it within me as my dining companions have no idea who he is.

 Short beef ribs HKD $250 (AUD $44)

We start with one of my must orders, the beef ribs! I’m surprised by how on the menu, you see on piece of beef ribs and it really does come as one. My aunt said, when they first opened, the photo had three and still served one piece, my uncle had made a friendly note that it was a little misleading. From that point, it had changed. It is quite steep in price for a piece of meat, however in saying that – it was so tender. The hints of garlic and soy marinade seeps through with a bite. The quality of the meat is noticed, so that is where you will note the price.

Pork jowl HKD $150 (AUD $26)

We got the pork jowl, because my aunt isn’t a fan of too fatty foods, so I had to put my pork belly love on hold. (Fun fact: I take pride in my pork belly cooking at kbbq). But the pork jowl, was delicious, it cured all my pork belly needs, in all the right ways. The tender pieces of pork cooked with a slight crisp exterior makes me one happy pork lover.

Beef tartare with pear and honey HKD $180 (AUD $31)

The beef tartare was a risk taker for me in the sense that I am a little weary about eating raw foods when overseas. But rest assured, I survived to tell the tale. There was subtle sweetness throughout, I did find the pear was a little lost, but that's ok because it offered a refreshing crunch. The beef had that slight chew but not tough, and if you’re all for tartares, I do recommend this dish.

Kimchi pancake HKD $130 (AUD $23)

The kimchi pancake was thin and massive – as most pancakes are served. It was thin delivered to the palate with the kimchi ratio. But because I’m all about crispy and crunch, I would have loved it to be pan fried a little more for that crispy layer, for a tiny crunch when I take that first bite.

Seaweed and oyster soup HKD $100 (AUD $18)

Because my grandma isn’t much of a spicy eater, though she loves it. We went for a more mainstream soup – seaweed with oyster. I love seaweed; I love soup so I love seaweed soup. If you’re not a fan of seafood, I would steer clear from this as the soup base is very concentrated, aside from that it was a very clean and clear on the palate. It was a nice contrast compared to everything else we had ordered, where they were much stronger in taste.

I would say that Hancham is on the higher price end compared to many other eateries. But I did find upon walking in, the interior did emit that feeling. Again, I wouldn't have expected anything less when with my aunt and uncle.

Because I was only in Hong Kong for a few days, I had wanted to eat EVERYTHING. I walked out of Hancham full, but before I went in I walked past the street food and wanted spicy fish balls, so my mind was set. Unfortunately, we did not see it again when we left.

BUT NO FEAR, I met up with my cousin-in-law the next day, and that craving was satisfied because he bought me fish balls.

And just because I love food sharing, Miss CC and I also got our cheung fun (steamed rice noodles with peanut and hoi sin sauce) and ngou lei so (sweet deep fried dough stick).

Have you ever been to a restaurant and found out a celebrity also dined there after? Or do you go to restaurants that you know they’ve been to?

And who here also loves street food? Because I am always up for a snack when shopping and Asia makes it so accessible! I don’t need a proper meal to waste shopping time! Just keep me full by feeding me constantly with food that’s just there!

Hancham Korean BBQ
Winfield Commercial Building,
1F, 8 Prat Ave,
Hong Kong

Second shop

Empire Centre,
Shop 43, UG/F, 

68 Moddy Road,

Tsim Sha Tsui,

Hong Kong 

Mary Street Bakery, Highgate, Perth

How did we come sliding down the middle of April hill already? The year sure has been slipping through my fingers way too fast. I’ve been a little swamped with work, my last semester of uni and just life. Trying to find a nice balance of all three things, but struggling, but it’s ok – I’m crawling to that light at the end of the tunnel despite the fact that I’m unsure if I’m headed in the right direction…

Anyways, on with it! Continuing my Perth adventures, this week I’m bringing you all to Mary Street Bakery. It’s always an awakening call when I find myself scrolling for places to eat last minute, and I call myself a food blogger – psh. I felt like pancakes, so it was a bonus that fried chicken sat on top of my pancake stake on this lovely first day in Perth.

You know when you’re on holidays, and all you seem to do is eat – it seemed like this could have been the case with the way Miss MC and I were going when exploring Perth. So, we decided to be realistic and try to not order the entire menu, even when that was exactly what I wanted to do.

Braised beef cheeks with parsnip shallot $26

The beef cheeks were soft, almost falling at the touch of a knife. The sauce was rich, with a touch of sweetness. The mash was smooth; your palate gets a hit with flavour mixing the sauce and creaminess.

Polenta chips $7

The polenta held a good crispy exterior and was fluffy inside. A dip of aioli helps take the strong polenta taste down a touch, if you’re not such a fan of polenta – this may not be an ideal dish to order.

Fried chicken buttermilk pancake with peanuts, maple, chilli, fried egg $23

And the reason I was sitting in here was because of this monster. Thick and fluffy pancakes were set out to defeat us, while the maple butter was sweet, I actually loved the kick that the chilli flakes offered. A kicking sticky sweet maple has brought on new levels. The chicken was fried perfectly and drenched in this lovely maple; surprisingly the pancakes weren’t soaked to the point of sweetness and still had a nice balance of buttermilk. Not sure how we managed to fit it in, but we did – and there was no denying that we were happy to walk to the next bus stop to get the bus rather than the one across the road.

So, are you on that would base your holiday around where you want to eat or by where you are going?

Mary Street Bakery

507 Beaufort Street

Highgate, Perth

Bare Grill, La Perouse

Burgers, there’s just something so satisfying about meat between two buns. After seeing Bare Grill take over FBAS last year (I know, a back logged post) I just had to make my way over.

My chance had come when the brother asked for burgers and local. BAM! Instant, done deal.

From these photos, it can be noted it has been a good few months, as I know the burgers are no longer served on white plates.

Chicken burger $10  (with chips and drink +$5)

Not much of a red meat eater, Miss DT opted for the chicken burger. She notes that the chicken was juicy and the vegetables were fresh. She thoroughly enjoyed her burger.

Fatties burger $13 (add chips and drink +$5)

I ordered the fatties burger, double patty, bacon, cheese, pickles and their house made sauce. My brother asked to swap burgers before his arrived! He had food envy already! 

Fatties innards

But that cheese melted on top of the patty made me salivate. The patty was juicy, the cheese drizzling and it was a mess to eat but it was simply on point. [FBAS score 4.5/5]

Outback burger $15 (add chips and drinks +$5)

The brother’s burger arrived and no swapping was needed, he was happy with the outback burger. Though they did run out of chips but was told they would be back with some more for us. It was actually a very thoughtful touch to have the burger served fresh than to have it sit in the kitchen waiting for the chips. The brother was impressed with this attention to detail.

We were given a whole serving of chips, due to messy hands – no photo could be taken.

REVISIT! How I wanted the fatties burger again, but no, I must venture out …

The cure $15 (add chips and drink +$5)

The cure, written on the blackboard had my attention instantly. My only problem was – how in the world am I going to eat this? IT’S MASSIVE! Two beef patties, hash brown, bacon, double cheese, pickles house made sauce and fried egg. Maybe I was greedy, maybe I was trying to cure from a massive party the night before, but damn that hash brown was such a great component. There is just something about hash browns; you can never do any wrong.

Serving burgers on point is one thing, but to have such little details put into consideration really enhances the whole experience.

Have you caught on the burger bug as yet? If so, where do you recommend as a must visit?

Bare Grill
Shop 3, 1599 Anzac Pde,
La Perouse

Trio, Bondi Beach

It’s always nice to get in touch with a little bit of tourist. It reminds me that I live in such a beautiful city and that I’m blessed with such beautiful beaches. Not that I’m a beach-y kinda girl. But the occasional strolls and being in the space just gives me moments to embrace the beauty.

After an early morning stroll at Scupltures last October to avoid crowds, we found ourselves seated in Trio for our brunch.

Left: green smoothie $12.50
Right: Watermelon juice small $7.50 large $9.50

The warm day meant that we felt like juices, a cocktail would have been nice but you know it wasn’t quite noon yet. Refreshing and comforting, there is nothing better than a nicely chilled juice and smoothie under the warm sun.

Flat white $4

Mr KH needed a coffee after spending a morning with two girls and two dogs...

mediterranean breakfast $27

Mr KH ordered the Mediterranean breakfast; a plate full of char-grilled haloumi, crispy pancetta, sundried tomatoes, spinach, chorizio, poached eggs and olive sourdough. I believe this was thoroughly enjoyed as the plate was left clean.

Corn fritters $22

Miss CC opted for the corn fritters; with smokey tomato chutney, bacon, goats cheese and roquette – she enjoyed this but like me, she is also searching for corn fritters that are out of this world. Miss CC noted that she did find them a little dry and could do with some more chutney.

Trio breakfast burrito $21

I was not that hungry, but could not resist and ordered the trio breakfast burrito, curious as to what it was. It was nice, I loved the idea that it was a deconstructed burrito. The eggs were so addictive with the spicy kick from the chilli and pepper. The salsa had hints of chorizo, and I love chorizo – so it was a winner. And I could add however much I wanted into the tortilla bread. Winning.

Nutella french toast $20

After seeing the nutella French toast on the menu, there is no surpassing Miss CC and I. As you would know, we ordered a French toast at Ruby's Diner also. Nutella has seriously taken the market away with how it’s been introduced to so much in sweets in the past year or two. No one can decline it. The nutella was evident in this as it was found in all areas, a layer between the two soft brioche, with an adding touch of hazelnut crumble to boost that nutella flavour! Bam, our palatte was taken on a nutella ride! Bananas just helped counter balance the dish and make it seem like we were eating something healthy…

Bondi beach really is lovely, there is just something about it. But the sad thing is, when you do see the occasional empty stores and think how hard it is for a business to survive in Sydney. Not to mention how expensive parking is in the area…

Tell me, do you occasionally act as a tourist and admire how beautiful your city is or are you more appreciative and always know your city is beautiful?

Trio 

56 Campbell Pde,

Bondi Beach

Cho Cho San, Potts Point

Birthdays, they come around so quickly. Slowly I find myself creeping into the next decade of my life. How I feel this year? Apparently not too bad. Perhaps I have finally accepted that it is the inevitable. As children we couldn’t grow up fast enough, now as adults I find it going by too fast. There just is no pleasing us, in any way.

Miss CC (once again) organised my birthday get together with our friends, and I got to share it with Mr TR this year. And if you remember, he seems to have Korean for every birthday celebration. But this year, because it’s a leap year and he finally turns 7, we gave him a little variety to have Japanese and so it was Cho Cho San.

Late to the bandwagon again, despite wanting to go since they opened – but better late than never right?

Scampi $24

We started with the scampi, it was nice and fresh. The ponzu gave the dish such a light and citrus like touch, this was thoroughly enjoyed on the whole table.  I just wished I slathered my piece with more sauce before picking it up and eating it!

Miso eggplant sticks $3 (each)

Now, I am no eggplant eater. Don’t like it, and avoid it. But if others want to order it, be my guest. However, we were recommended that non-eggplant eaters do enjoy this dish – and they do! Because I did! Perhaps it is due to it being deep fried, or the miso sauce had been stronger than the eggplant taste but I really enjoyed eggplant for a change. It is super crunch and rather addictive. Seconds were ordered for eggplant lovers on the table.

Hiramasa kingfish, pickled ginger, cucumber $22

The kingfish arrives and I take a moment to appreciate those fat slices, so beautiful waiting for me to dig in. But after my camera has eaten. The pickled ginger is subtle but I can’t get over how fresh their sashimi are!

Petuna Ocean trout $21

… So we naturally decide to add just one more to our meal. The petuna ocean trout. While this dish may not have been the most outstanding, it was still pretty high up there. I love how the accompanying sauces are light and not overpowering, because nothing worse than only tasting sauce and losing the essence of fresh fish cuts.

Beef tartare, wild rice, ginger dressing $22

This is the most interesting beef tartare I have had. There are bits of rice, and while it’s hard in texture it actually brings this dish to a nice new level. The chewy like bite gives the raw beef more than just that moosh-y feel.

Pork katsu steamed buns $8 (each)

I like big buns and I cannot lie….  Looking at the amount of cabbage, I feel content knowing that I am having my greens intake today. The pork katsu, fried to perfection but what really brought this to my heart was the kick in the sauce. That spicy kick was absolutely perfect, to me, it wasn’t too much or that it was lost in the dish – it was just enough to give you a kick on the palate and not losing the main focus on this bun.

Snow crab omelette, japanese curry $28

The omelette was delicious, perhaps because I love Japanese curry and this had all the right flavours soaking through. All I would love would be a bigger serving, because I am greedy that way.

Lamb cutlets, koji glaze $25

The lamb cutlets, THE LAMB CUTLETS! Maybe because I did not have much expectation on this dish, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. When biting in the juices burst in my mouth. It was far from dry, and won many hearts.

Wagyu beef, shallot $38

If the lamb cutlets were so juicy and cooked perfectly, there wouldn’t be much wrong with the wagyu, and it was correct. The texture was soft and tender, there were no tearing, just a lovely and well cooked piece of meat with some light soya like sauce to accompany.

Teriyaki fish collars $20

If you’re into getting into the nitty gritty and love eating with the fingers, the fish collar bones is the way to go. I am not much of a fish fan, but there was a loose piece of meat hanging, so with a quick reach over I grabbed it with my chopsticks. The teriyaki sauce was thicker and as expected on a sweeter scale, but it complimented the fish.

Japanese bolognese $18

This was ordered for curious sake, and I was told by the boys ar the table they would just use udon instead of pasta, in a sarcastic tone – so low and behold they were correct. Still holding elasticity, the udon noodles were bouncy once bitten through shitake mushrooms can also be found within this dish. Creamy, and tomato were all the flavours running on the palate.

Left: Mandi Shandee $18
Right: Lousiana Sawa $18

 We sneak in a few cocktails before dessert, Miss EC ordered the mandi shandee, I did not try this as I am not a fan of mandarins, at all. I ordered the lousiana sawa, this was a little too easy to drink, no indication of alcohol in anyway… dangerous!

Fukushima Fizz $15

Miss KC ordered the fukushima fizz, this had a bitter after taste, but for the aesthetics side of things, this one won the points for sure!

Black sesame mochi

We heard there were mochi’s and we wanted it pronto. Well, we wanted all their sweets (even though we had a cake). The black sesame ice cream is made in house, and has enough hints of black sesame, I personally wouldn’t have minded it to be a little stronger. The mochi was thin, and chewy – just how it’s supposed to be. Reminds me of my childhood days when we would buy packets of vanilla ice cream wrapped in mochi when I was in Hong Kong.

Japanese pavlova $12

The Japanese pavlova was more like an eton mess. Cream was covered with berries, and meringue. Pavlova lovers on the table were a little disappointed.

We ordered the green tea soft serve (served in either a cone or cup), and I was so taken by surprise that they added two candles on our serve that I had forgotten to take a photo myself! Strong matcha flavours, stronger than your usual green tea ice cream but still giving you a sweet touch.

Match ice cream $6 (per cone/cup)
Photo credits to Miss EC

But this is what happens when you don’t plan how you sit, the two Feb/March babies sit on the very opposite ends of the table!

Don’t ask where we found room to fit all this food and dessert in, but we did. Because CAKE! The Black Velvet speciality Ferrero Roche cake was delicious. Not too overly sweet, like a chocolate hazelnut mousse cake! Winning!

We were done and dusted, hugging our stomachs until Miss CC and I spotted the table next us with the chicken karaage, and we looked at each other and instantly: “WE FORGOT TO ORDER IT!” It was on our list, but it slipped our minds! Well, it can only mean one thing; I am due for another visit …

Do you have a leap year baby in your life, and do they also like to celebrate it in style? Because our leap baby, Mr TR, sure does.

Cho Cho San

73 Macleay Street,

Potts Point