HK Oldest- Homemade Eggrolls

If you love eggrolls, then what Chillbeans are going to recommend you is perhaps the yummiest handmade eggrolls in Hong Kong, but the pre-order period of at least 6 months is a pain and perhaps for those who would have a sudden crave it, perhaps it'll be much easier to either stock up a good amount of them at home or visit your nearest supermarket to get substitute brands which obviously by 20+ years of tasting experience are not as good as DAK SHING HO below.

We are not paid to advertise as obviously we don't think traditional brands like them would care to advertise themselves, the fact that they can retain customer loyalty from generation to generation, they must have something so special in them that ageing taste buds never forget. Call 2570 5529 to order yours now :)

Chillbeans.

The forgotten good- Grand Hyatt

If you have to pick top places for afternoon tea in Hong Kong, names which come straight into mind for years are Mandarin Oriental because of their scones, rose petal jam & clotted cream, for me its for the coffee. Then personally I would think that the choices are followed by Robuchon Landmark, Cafe Grey @ Upper House and Intercontinental Hong Kong. But knowing that we Chillbeans can't stand to stand in long queues for afternoon tea on a National Day public holiday, we chose a long forgotten choice- Tiffin @ Grand Hyatt to spend our afternoon. It turned out that this long forgotten name, probably due to the isolated location of Grand Hyatt, away from all the shopping hot spot and majority crowd, was one which never failed to disappoint. Great food, great atmosphere and VERY NICE SERVICE THERE.

To keep this post short, here are the photos:

ChillBeans Coffee. 

 The Afternoon Tea Stand for Two

The ice cream bar which comes with the tea set

More about Tiffin: 

http://hongkong.grand.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-hongkong-grand/entertainment/dining_detail.jsp;jsessionid=2A3B3B7684ACF3470C63C1FB17763FCD.atg06-prd-atg1?itemDesc=fboutlet&itemId=1000169

Find Tiffin: 

1 Harbour Road
Hong Kong, CHINA

Chillbeans.

Maison Boulud, the three Michelin star restaurant for a Wednesday after school lunch, the only thing that went around your mind during the two hours lecture in the morning was whether I was underdressed. Maison Boulud is located in the restored site of the former American embassy, namely Chienmen 23. As all of us are originated from Hong Kong, both the name and décor of the place resemble some sort of new luxury residential complexes in Hong Kong.

Given that it’s a Michelin Star Restaurant and was previously highly recommended by a few of my friends for their Sunday brunch, there were much expectation as well as speculation as to what this Daniel Boulud fine dining empire would bring when opened in Beijing.

All of us went with the easy option in choosing their lunch set menu priced at an exceptionally good price RMB 198. For me I had went with the Chestnut Soup and Salad as starters, for main dish I had the Sword Fish while two of my other friends had the DB Burger which is Stirloin Burger filled with Braised Short Ribs. In between course, it seemed like we were being served unlimited portion of bite sized madeleine cakes, macaroons, nougats as well as couple of other French sweet bites. Very generous of them we thought. However my feed back as a whole was that the best thing that I really liked about the meal turned out to be the complimentary canapés and sweet treats. As for the courses in the lunch set, I would agree with my friends who came previously for lunch that the quality of the food was indeed overrated. Food was average, but a great place if you are looking for somewhere exquisite, quiet and romantic. Here are some snapshots of the food we had, sorry that I only bothered about eating but not photoshooting.

One good thing that I really like about the restaurant is that they change their lunch menus every week! Although it will only really make a difference if you can enjoy the luxury to visit them at least once a week. For real foodies who don't mind travelling all the way to Qianmen away from all the fine dine and shopping areas, MB is certainly the place to visit, its more than just food but an experience of the classy Beijing. 

For more details please see: 

http://danielnyc.com/menus/maison_beijing/Lunch.pdf

Chillbeans.

Barolo- it must be one of the best Italian restaurant in town

Barolo- it must be one of the best Italian restaurant in Beijing.

Thanks to my friend who is a real foodie and frequent traveller to Beijing for his cool biz trips, Barolo is definitely one which I would rate the maximum number of stars whether your scale is from 1-10 or 1-100. Not trying to exaggerate how good this restaurant is, for reasons that firstly, under the name Ritz Carlton Beijing it automatically gives quality assurance in terms of the restaurant environment and of course the quality of the food. Secondly, this kitchen is taken over by Gianluca Visani, one of the best chefs in Beijing as rated by TimeOut Beijing in 2012.

“Visani’s cooking is full of all the best things that we love about Italian food” TimeOut Beijing

“One of Beijing’s pinnacles of Italian fine dining” City Weekend

Given that my foodie friend knows Visani personally and that he comes here everytime when he is in Beijing, I didn't have to worry about what to choose on the menu. I have to say that THE FOOD HERE WAS AMAZING!!! I WILL DEFINITELY COME AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH TO LIGHTEN UP MY LIFE IN BEIJING.

Food for the night

Starter- Crab Salad with Avocado Mousse, Gazpacho Dressing and “Crystal” Lobster Bisque. It was a very refreshing dish, the bisque was a bit spicy but as a whole it was infused with rich seafood flavor.

Main (half portion)

Tagliolini ai Ricci di Mare

Tagliolini with Sea Urchin and Spicy Zucchni.

This was probably the high light of the night not only because I love sea urchin, but the pasta was great with a pinch of spiciness. I am only a fan of good pasta and so Linguine Fini in Hong Kong is always top of my list as it’s a restaurant specializing in pasta cooked with innovative fusion of ingredients, however after trying Barolo’s pastas I think I’ve been further spolit.

Tagliatelle con Guanciale, Copolla Rossa e Crema di Piselli

Tagliatelle topped with Crispy Cured Pork Cheek, Red Onion and atop of Green Peas Sauce. My friend who has been here for couple of times however missed the egg yolk sauce better.

We also had the clams risotto which was recommended by the Visani. Again, there is no scope for disappointment unless you have a personal thing against risotto and/or clams. While I pretty much prefer any fresh pasta dish over any risotto, I would say that everything on the menu here is worth a try. 

Dining at Ritz Carlton might sounds pricey for a casual dinner, but having been living in Hong Kong for more than a decade, knowing well what is consider as over-price for average quality food and reasonable price for high quality food, Barolo definitely falls into the latter category with food which adds highlight to your stay in Beijing. 

For More Details- Please Visit https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Beijing/Dining/Barolo/Menu.htm

Chillbeans.

Chillbean at Capital M Beijing- Tea in the Wonderland.

Having heard that Capital M Beijing has one of the most extraordinary view of Qianmen as well as another couple of historical buildings which I can't really name them, I have waited for weeks to visit this restaurant for a dressed up afternoon tea session with the girls.

Travelling to the restaurant by cab was a pain, given the really heavy traffic in Beijing, there aren't really times considered as non-rush hours.

Dropping us off at Qian Men Dong Lu, there was this huge Capital M sign standing at the entrance of the carpark. Walking for a short distance into some sort of a market area, it wasn’t easy to locate the entrance of Capital M unless you paid good attention to the signage posts in the area located at the front of the doors of random souvenir shops.

Walking into the restaurant, I was fascinated by the modern and chic design, it was almost like walking into Alice in the Wonderland. Yes, almost as we were semi-dressed up with the Hung Wei Bing’s hats on. The restaurant looks very spacious and it can be easily separated into sections which I genuinely think it’s a good venue for private parties in Beijing. We chose to sit at the terrace area for a better view of the historical city. However not much luck for the day, all the seats with a full view of Qianmen were occupied.

Photo Courtesy By Capital M

As there are three of us, we ordered a Capital M’s High Tea set (138rmb) and a Tea & Scones set (88rmb).

For the High Tea Set, from bottom deck to the top, it came with 3 choices of sandwiches (cucumber, egg mayo and chicken mayo), scones and a selection of sweet and savory tarts and cakes. At the price of 138rmb, the quality and presentation of the food were not the best that I have had, but in Beijing, it might be worth the try given that the environment, exquisite cutleries as well as great restaurant service were all worth the price tag. My friends are appealed by the a la carte menu for dinner which I haven’t had a chance to try, but since I am always more concern of the interior and mood of the place, it is definitely worth a try again despite that the food quality of the afternoon tea set has pretty much been a disappointment. Like Alice in Wonderland, food here might look much more prettier than it tastes.

For more details- please visit http://www.m-restaurantgroup.com/capitalm/sunday-afternoon-tea.html

They only serve afternoon tea on Saturday and Sunday from 3pm-5pm. It is better off to book in advance and request for seats with a good view of the historical architectures.

Directions:

Chillbeans.