Category Archives: Dining

One Fancy Meal

07 Saturday Aug 2010

Posted by in Dining, Travel

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They may have lost a few stars in the past few years, but dinner at La Tour d’Argent in Paris has to be one of the fanciest dining experiences of my life. Granted I’m not much of a foodie and haven’t been to that many fine dining places, it is still quite difficult these days to impress my jaded city girl eyes.

Located along the river Seine, we were quickly greeted by the doorman as soon as our cab arrived and shown into a luxuriously appointed waiting area. The maitre d’ led us into the bar while we waited for the rest of our party. I was struck by the air of sophistication. Was it ok to order a glass of orange juice? Then they showed us through the mini “hall of fame” where we waited for the liveried driven elevator to take us to the dining area.  I noted the presence of JFK and the Empress of Japan.

The main dining room on the top floor of the building had a beautiful view of the river Seine and Notre Dame. As the sun set outside, I envied the couples dining by the window seats. How extremely romantic! I must come back some day with my loved one! And of course, everyone was dressed beautifully. If there was ever a time and place to dress up, this was definitely it!

My eyes widened as we were presented with a wine list the size of an encyclopedia- now that is impressive! Since we don’t exactly frequent such establishments, we decided to go for the full tasting menu to ensure that we gave it a good try.  I’m not exactly a foodie, so I won’t go into excruciating detail of every dish and how everything tasted, but here is the menu. They are definitely good at is making it a night to remember. Towards the end of the meal, they presented us with a custom made menu of our meal that night, complete with the date, which wine we chose and who our chef was (above).

The main theme of the restaurant was definitely the duck. They were everywhere. The home grown ducks are so famous here that we even got  postcards with the reference number (since 1890) of the duck we ate that night on it. I ate duck number 1090196!

In particular, the pressed duck is most popular. You can see them making it right in the middle of the dining room. First they cut away the breast and thighs. Then they put the remainder of the duck into the presser (the thingy on the left), to squeeze out all the blood, which they then use to make a sauce to pour over the breast and thigh meat. Juicy.

One thing I do feel qualified to comment on is the dessert. This feuillete aux fraises de bois is the most exquisite thing ever. The slices of strawberry on top are actually sweet and crunchy. You’d thing that the tiny strawberries lined below are sour, but they were surprisingly sweet. Combined with the cream and crust, they were little bites of heaven! Definitely one of the best of its kind that I’ve tried!

It was definitely one fancy meal to remember.

Starstruck Again

17 Saturday Jul 2010

Posted by in Blogging, Dining, Hong Kong

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Yesterday my girlfriends and I met THE Jason Bonvivant, at Riquiqui Dessert Bar and were completely starstruck!

We were just sitting at the bar, enjoying ourselves and chatting with Andrea and Amanda (the lovely hostess and chef of the establishment) when he and his friends walked in. Andrea greeted them and called him Jason. They started talking, and my friend M suddenly whispered to me that he kind of looks like the Jason from Jason Bonvivant, the famous Hong Kong food blog that we both love to stalk. Since I never studied the tiny picture he has on the corner of his blog, I scoffed at the idea and reasoned that it couldn’t be. What are the chances?

But then Andrea started telling us that Jason knows all about food and that he even has a blog. . . and we couldn’t help but ask, “Wait, are you THE Jason from the Jason Bonvivant blog???” When he confirmed, we were all starstruck and started crowding around him and bombarding him with questions. Luckily, he was super cool about it and didn’t seem to mind even after we kept him from his raspberry sorbet for well over 15 minutes. We didn’t even realize how embarrassing we were being until we excitedly recalled this experience to our friend and she observed that we sounded like a gaggle of crazy teenage fans. Whoops 😛

He mentioned this really awesome sounding low profile Italian restaurant in some basement in TST, that I’m real excited to try. But sadly I didn’t catch the name. Anyone got an idea?

Ps. The Riquiqui dessert bar is a GREAT place to hang out, chat and have some yummy sweets. The atmosphere is super friendly. It almost feels like visiting a friend’s home!

Shoot Before You Eat

10 Saturday Apr 2010

Posted by in Dining, Random Musings

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Back in college, whenever my girlfriends and I went out, we had a ritual. While others pray before they eat, we took pictures of and with our food before we eat. Once the food had been placed in front of us, we’d ask the waiter to take a group picture of us before we proceeded to help each other take pictures with our foods, in addition to individual food pictures. Since then, I’ve cut back a bit as other friends started to give me pained looks whenever I whipped out my camera- especially in upscale restaurants in the US. Apparently it is embarrassing.

As it turns out, I wasn’t being embarrassing but part of the pioneering movement of bringing food blogging/food diaries into America (I assure you this is quite a normal habit in Asian communities already). But alas, I don’t think I’ll be starting a food blog any time soon. Recently, I’ve come to the realization that I simply do not have the talent for food photography. My photos just seem to make the most amazing cuisine appear unappetizing. Maybe from now on I should just let others do the work for me while I enjoy the food!

New York, New York II

29 Wednesday Apr 2009

Posted by in Dining, Fashion, Lifestyle, Travel

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I’m baaaack! Besides my flight home being delayed by 2 hours even though the sky was clear on both ends (I’m baffled), I had a wonderful time. Some highlights/conclusions:

  1. Hair Kuwayama: I got the straight fringe! It’s a bit strange, but I’m starting to get used to it. So far the feedback has been mostly positive. Nari my hairstylist was also very cute, Japanese and careful. At first she chopped my hair off completely horizontally *which freaked me out no end*, but once she was done she did the side thing and layered it right *phew*
  2. Battery Park: I stopped by to visit a friend. It is SUCH a nice neighborhood. There is a harbor front that faces the Statue of Liberty. It totally doesn’t feel like New York, and yet it is super close to Wall Street!
  3. Peter Lugers: Out of the 365 days in a year it is opened, I picked the one evening when it catches on FIRE. I trudged ALL the way to Brooklyn in my heels (the subway station exit was kind of sketchy!) and arrived to two fire trucks parked outside and all the staff and customers sitting on the steps opposite the restaurant. It took us half an hour to figure out what was happening (it was definitely not going back to business that evening) and then another 15 minutes to figure out how to get a cab in the middle of nowhere- with a LOT of luck. Clearly Peter and I are just not meant to be. We ended up at BLT steaks. If you ever need a quick reservation on a Friday night at 8pm, this is a good place to go….

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  4. Maru: This place has gone downhill since the last time I visited (maybe a year or so ago?), but it still has the best lychee soju in town!
  5. Pastis: We got a table outdoors and I loved the atmosphere. The cobblestones, the open space, it felt like I was back in Paris again! It is also close to the DVF headquarters, so it’s super convenient 😛
  6. Top Shop: The line has abated. But it was not that great. Like Anthropologie, the website is better than the actual store. My experience there was exactly as I remembered it when I first went to the TopShop at Oxford Circus. I tried on a lot of things that I liked, some fit well, but then the price didn’t seem to correlate with the quality.
  7. Baked by Melissa: A little cupcake store just off Broadway near TopShop. They are seriously tiny for $1, but they are a tiny bite of heaven.
  8. Bloomingdales: The sales was not that great… I feel like it can be better. I did spotted a pair of Tory Burch thongs I now have my eye on!
  9. Marc by MJ: Seems like it has become more of a tourist destination if anything. The store was tiny, hot and crowded… I couldn’t wait to get out. The stuff were not worth it.
  10. Sweet Revenge: A delightful little dessert/wine bar in a quiet quaint area. The perfect spot to catch up with your girlfriends for a bit of afternoon gossip with some sweets and booze.
  11. Mara Hoffman Sample Sale: I didn’t think I’d find anything, because prints is not usually my thing. But I was pleasantly surprised. More on this later 🙂
  12. Dessert Truck: It’s a cute concept, but maybe fine dining just isn’t my thing. I tried the chocolate molten cake and while the texture was awesome, I found the salt on the cake really strange. I half wondered if they accidentally sprinkled on salt instead of sugar… but then the menu does mention sea salt.
  13. Ippudo: The wait was a hour, but you can always stop by the Dessert Truck while you wait (it’s right around the corner). The fried chicken thing was quite good and the ramen was very interesting too. The ramen didn’t look like regular ramen, but it tasted quite good!
  14. Chikalicious: I didn’t end up trying the tasting menu (long line and that place is TINY), but I did try a few cupcakes at the dessert bar across the street. Don’t like the s’mores one, but the triple chocolate is quite good.
  15. Joe’s Shanghai: I miss Shanhainese food because we don’t have any in Chicago, so I came here (I think this is the website). I’m not sure it compares to Hong Kong, but it’s definitely quite decent and satisfied my craving. They don’t have the traditional Shanghainese noodles though… what they do have is like udon.
  16. The Frick Collection: A beautiful collection. For a Sunday, it was not too crowded (at least not as crowded as the Met!). The atmosphere was peaceful, soothing and intimate. It really achieved it’s goal of putting art in the surroundings it was meant to be enjoyed in. There was also an interesting documentary about Mr. Frick, another admirable man.
  17. Crumbs: The verdict is out. I think I’m a convert to Crumbs. The cupcakes are HUGE (it’s really a small cake) and even after a day, the cake is moist. The icing is decent (not as sweet as Magnolia) and I liked the variety it offered. Also love how there’s stuff in the middle. So far the chocolate and the cookie dough is pretty good.
  18. Lady M: I’m officially OVER cupcakes and the likes and have converted to everything Lady M. Located in a quiet street on the upper east side, this small cake shop is elegant and chic. The staff were super professional and the decor was clean and elegant, with gorgeous displays of white calla lilies. But most of all, the cakes were simply divine. I tried the original Mille Crepes (SO GOOD) and the checker cake. Made of at least 20 layers of crepes in between cream, it was absolutely mouthwatering. You’d think the checker cake would be waay too sweet and dry, but it was perfect. It was not too sweet and it had just the right texture- light and fluffy. I’ve had a LOT of sweets and cakes in my 20 odd years, and seriously, these were one of the best. Even though they’re a bit pricier at $8 a piece, it is totally worth it. An absolute MUST go. Who needs Magnolia when there is Lady M?

Yes, it was a very sweet trip indeed.

New York, New York!

23 Thursday Apr 2009

Posted by in Dining, Fashion, Lifestyle, Travel

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So I’m heading for New York this weekend (tomorrow!) and here is my list of places I hope to hit while I’m there (in no particular order):

  1. Hair Kuwayama: I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard great thing about this salon on Yelp. I have a mind to try this hairstyle… but we’ll see how it goes and I’ll report back!
  2. Peter Lugers: Since steak is one of my all time favourite savory food, I simply must pay my respects to this legendary steak house! This trip, I finally managed to get a reservation!
  3. Chikalicious: The latest hotspot for dessert I’m told.
  4. Dessert Truck: Fining dining desserts on a truck. This is my kind of street food!
  5. Sweet Revenge: Just because the DABA girls said so.
  6. Pastis: A NYC experience wouldn’t be the same without brunch.
  7. Bloomingdales: Just because of the F&F event this weekend and there’s less sales tax in NYC compared to Chicago
  8. Top Shop: Even though there aren’t any great sample sales this weekend, I will hopefully be able to pick something up here- given that there’s no longer a line getting in!
  9. Lady M: The Mille Crepes look divine…..
  10. The Frick Collection: Since I’m sure the Met would be packed, I thought the Frick will be a bit different. Plus, the garden looks amazing.
  11. Ippudo: I’m not sure why Japanese ramen and yakitori is so popular in NYC, but I heard it’s worth the wait in line!
  12. K Town: For some lychee soju (at this bar you have to go up the elevator for, but I forgot the name) and maybe some Pink Berry? I still have not tried the magic of Pink Berry yet!
  13. Crumbs: Better than Magnolia? We’ll see….
  14. Magnolia: Just for old times sake, I think the icing is a tiniest bit too sweet! Maybe this time I’ll try the banana pudding instead.
  15. WD-50: According to Tina over at Fashion Prospectress, they have an impressive 5 course dessert tasting menu there

I fear my stomach stomach will not be able to handle all this!