After a scorching and humid summer, the weather is finally cooling down. This week, we ask you what your favourite comfort food is in HK and where to get them? Mine is Mac and Cheese.. I'm still on the quest to find the perfect one tho. Pictures above from Times Square's 798 and SEVVA.

Want to be a part of our new Twitter Tips column? Follow @hkfashiongeek on Twitter and wait for the question of the week, or search #hkfgtwittertips. Otherwise, leave us a comment on our Facebook page

@taura_e
@hkFashionGeek roasted chestnuts straight from the barrel! on the street corner:) #hkfgtwittertips

@lingfromTO
@hkFoodGeek hot pot!!! No clue I'm new to HK.. But it always does the trick! :)

@DeeSeeBeaucoup
@hkFashionGeek Spicy Szechuan Hot pot! Or snake and waxed sausages dishes at She Wong Fun in Central!!!!!

@randomraj 
@hkFashionGeek My guilty pleasure comfort food: Cha Siu Fan from Canteen.

Marsha_H
@hkFashionGeek best comfort food: cup noodle (that's what i am needing right now!) available at any 7-11 to supermarket #hkfgtwittertips

Geoffrey_Wu
@randomraj @hkFashionGeek: Wild Boar Tagliatelle with an Ice Cold pint of Ale! homemade of course

coffeemeow
@hkFashionGeek homemade Chinese fried glutinous rice with Chinese sausage and yummy bits #hkfgtwittertips

fernandogros
@hkFashionGeek this winter is going to be all about Clam Chowder, Sausage & Lentils or, Biriyani. All homemade.

dddlai
@hkFashionGeek congeeeeee and hot pot!!!!!!!!!! congee = Sun Kee 生記 in sheung wan and hotpot in my own house!! Lol or I guess at Budaoweng hotpot in Times Square :)

Jeannie Hong noodles + dumplings from that "ghetto" restaurant. (ShoeGeek knows)

Yeelim
@hkFashionGeek Hot pot at Him Kee in Wan Chai. Even better with friends

jasonbonvivant
@hkFashionGeek #hkfgtwittertips comfort food? gotta to be ... a bowl of beef brisket rice noodle for me! or simply Char Siu Rice!

skycita
@hkFashionGeek yachiyo's spicy miso ramen w extra egg, living around the corner adds to comfort factor...

sweet877
@hkFashionGeek #hkfgtwittertips ginger steamed milk from yee shun at CWB...or double skin milk. silky smooth and warms you up right away!

dumdidav
@hkFoodGeek a hot bottle of malted vitasoy, available at 7-11 or circle k! Yay!

Vincent Br French food from Brtianny at "La Crêperie"!! 100-102 Queens Road East ... Prices are good as the food :)

It's surprisingly hard to find decent Italian food in Hong Kong so this week we ask you for recommendations. Image from Cecconi's in Soho which also has a great lunch set deal and decent pizza. It's about $138 for a two course lunch I believe.

This week's Twitter tips question: What's your favourite resto for Italian in HK and tell us your must-order dish #hkfgtwittertips

@sweet877
@hkFashionGeek Tuscany by H which is closed :( otherwise Ziti's in Tai Hang. Must order special pizza with an egg on top! #hkfgtwittertips

@missfonginhk
@hkFashionGeek Definitely Rughetta on Wyndham St. Try the stuffed mushrooms with mozza and parma ham, delizioso!

@Mari5HongKong
@hkFashionGeek Italian..haven't tried many in HK but Cafe Graham (yeah, in Graham St. obviously.) was good, food, portion and price!!!

@rkirpalaney
@hkFashionGeek Cenacolo - their ravioli is to die for!

@AnthonySolimini
@hkFoodGeek pizza at 208

@randomraj
@hkFashionGeek I'm fond of Cenacolo in Soho for Italian Their Pastas / Pizza are brill.Double points for the choco pudding! #hkfgtwittertips

@e_ting
@hkfoodgeek Any of the pastas on Otto e Mezzo's menu, and that huge rib eye (to share), even though that's not strictly Italian...

@searsmc
@hkfashiongeek Panevino - their gnocchi is amazing

@GoOutHongKong
@hkfoodgeek Have been once to Posto Publico in Soho, it was very good ,now waiting to try Spuntini tomorrow

@ejorpin
@hkFoodGeek best (& best value) Italian in HK is Posto Pubblico. Tagliolini w. peas & pancetta = YUM!

Remember that gigantic gummy bear with the hysterical infomercial we wrote about previously? Well as a follow up to that, Vat19, the masterminds behind the venture has come up with a 3 pound, 26 inch long gummy worm. At 128 times the size of a regular gummy worm, it packs 4,000 calories (so half a worm is more than enough for your day’s intake!) and comes in five flavour combinations like orange and lemon or cherry and blue raspberry. What can you do with such a large gummy worm? Apparently, you can fish with it, jump rope with it and make a giant dirt cake with it. Check out the video which is wrong on oh so many levels. My mind is still trying to worm its way out of the gutter.

A new type of private kitchen is sprouting up in Hong Kong. At a pool party a couple weeks ago, I met the girls Angie and Sofia behind Once Upon a Table, a secret supper club that aims to bring strangers together for home cooked food. Held monthly, each session is at a different location and puts together 12 people who appreciate fine food and wine. Each event centers around a theme that tells a story through the menu and atmosphere. Popular overseas, the girls are hoping to bring the trend to HK. Angie tells of a Harry Potter inspired event that she did back in London where the venue was decorated like Diagon Alley and guests had to give the secret to the 'lady in the painting' to get in. Butter beer was served from trays from dry ice and pumpkin soup in carved pumpkins as well as having 'magic dust' on hand, the power from the miracle berry to transform guests' tastebuds.

For the upcoming session, the theme is Mama Mia and the food will be inspired by the chefs’ travels in Italy. From Isola Stromboli off Sicily to the pastel coloured villages of Cinque Terre, Liguria to the mountains of Lombardy, Milan they will recreate off-the-beaten-track recipes. Check out further details and the menu after the cut.

The session will be held on Saturday 23rd of October at 7.30pm where guests will share a 5 course experience of the flavours, aromas and sounds of Italy.

Cost per head: $540 – This includes a 5 course menu served with generous glasses of wine. For more details visit http://onceuponatablehk.blogspot.com

To be invited please email Sofia at onceuponatable@gmail.com by the 12th of October with a short description of one of your favourite meals from your travels. 12 guests will be selected based on the best descriptions. The guest list will be confirmed on the 14th of October by 8pm. As always the secret venue will be revealed the night before via email and text message.

Mama Mia! Menu
Apertif
Campari
Campari with soda & freshly squeezed orange juice

Antipasto
Antipasto di mare: Insalalata Di Polpos
Antipasto of the sea: A salad of baby octopus, potatoes & peperoncino served with 3 choices of extra virgin olive oil alongside roast vegetables & homemade foccacia
Matched with: Prosecco di Valdobbiadene - Zardetto (millesimé 2009)

Primi
Pasta alla Norma fatta in casa
Homemade Pasta alla Norma (freshly made on the day)
Matched with: Soave 2007

Secondi
Osso Bucco con patate e fagioli
Osso Bucco with smashed potatoes & tender green beans
Matched with: Lagrein 2007

Limoncello fatto in casa
Homemade limoncello

Dolci
Semifreddo alle nocciole e mandorle
Semifreddo with salted hazelnut & almond praline

Caffè e biscotti a due gusti: pistachi e zenzero, arancia e cioccolato
Coffee with biscotti of two flavors: pistachio & ginger, orange & dark chocolate

Una sorpresa alla fine
A final surprise

Learn to cook like Alain Ducasse (above) at one of Intercontinental Hong Kong's monthly cooking and wine appreciation seminars. Whether or not you've learned to boil water, you can sign up for a "behind-the-scenes" experience in the Spoon by Alain Ducasse kitchen, where executive chef Philippe Duc will guide you through a food and wine lecture complete with cooking demonstrations and a wine appreciation luncheon.

Can't hurt that Philippe Duc is a total cutie:


There's one class per month, each under a different theme, but all including a three-course menu demonstration, including a starter, main and dessert, with wine pairings.

Themes for each month and menus included are:

HARVEST SEASON Saturday, October 23rd


- Home made duck foie gras terrine, apple raisin condiment (pictured)
Paired with Riesling from Alsace
- Pan fried Beef fillet, Porcini mushrooms, natural jus
Paired with Grenache/Syrah from the Rhone Valley
- Chocolate, hazelnut entremets
Paired with a Sherry from Spain

TRUFFLE SEASON Saturday, November 20th


- Steamed Organic egg, potato-truffle-spring onion, Perigueux sauce (pictured)
Paired with Chenin blanc from the Loire Valley
- Pan seared sea scallops, lettuce cream, Tartuffi di Alba
Paired with Grenache blanc/Clairette/Bourboulenc from the Rhone Valley
- Truffle macaroons
Paired with Dry white Port

FESTIVE SEASON Saturday, December 11th



- Marinated SEA SCALLOPS, lemon condiment, caviar (pictured)
Paired with Asyrtico from Greece
- SPRING CHICKEN from "Bresse" with white truffle, vegetables cooked in a broth
Paired with Chardonnay from Burgundy
- CHOCOLATE - passion fruit Christmas log
Paired with Sauternes from Bordeaux

Inclusive with each Seminar:
A SPOON kit with the cooking demonstration menus and recipes
Continental breakfast with fresh bakery items and coffee/tea
Soft drinks during the class
A 3-course lunch featuring the cooking demonstration menu with selected wine

Price: HK$1,280 per person +10% service charge per seminar
(with a maximum number of 10 persons per class)

To register for the SPOON cooking & wine appreciation seminars, contact
SPOON by Alain Ducasse Tel: 2313-2256
E-mail: spoonbyalainducasse.hk@interconti.com

One of the nice perks of working for a PR agency that reps a number of restaurants is that you can take journos out to media lunches to have them sample the food. This of course leads to me being able to try out many new restaurants. While I try to refrain from writing too much about the day job clients, quite a few people have been asking me about Shore lately so I figured why not write a post on it. Shore, is a split-level restaurant and bar that is located at L Place Central. Offering steak and seafood as well as international DJ entertainment, the venue is actually a three-in-one concept where the upstairs is a chic steak and seafood restaurant, downstairs a cool bar and an expansive outdoor chill out terrace.


Having been there a couple times, I've found the food to be consistently good (although the portions tend to be a bit on the large side so I'd advise ordering a few dishes to share to fully enjoy what they have to offer.) Of particular delight is their Lettuce Hearts with Crab salad and this is high praise coming from a girl who loathes her greens. The steak tartare was rather rich in flavour but very pleasant when combining it with their walnut bread.




Their mains are nicely done but nothing that really blows my mind, but be forewarned that the fries are addictive.




What does blow my mind, however, is their Textured Tart dessert which comprises of Valrhona fudge and amedei ice-cream bon bons. The picture does not do it justice.



Another thing worth noting is that the restaurant does not do the customary 10% service charge that is ubiquitous throughout Hong Kong (I swear, if the cha chan tengs think they can get away with it, they will charge us an extra 10% too).

Shore is located at 3rd and 4th floor, L Place, 139 Queen’s Road, Central, Hong Kong
Telephone: (852) 2915-1638

Surprisingly, it's the gourmet part of the marshmallow that trips me up rather than the caffeinated or Ghostbuster endorsed collectible part. Apparently the candy comes in a marshmallowy-feeling box to further enhance your user experience. Wouldn't this be perfect for Halloween? Get it at ThinkGeek

I love me a good eat. And nothing pleases me more than scanning my inbox to put together the monthly food column at work. The PRs do good work by putting together informative releases, but it's the pictures that usually slay me. Food photography is the worst thing to happen to my diet since... well, food. And when these things hit the inbox before lunch, it's torture. So I've done you a favour by keeping the food shots after the cut. Click on and don't blame me for what happens next.

Blame my fellow CISer Christian Yang and his wife Judith, the adorable couple pictured above, who have just opened their second restaurant, Zenku, in Nexxus Building in Central. Their first was Bang Bang Pan Pan which is a really cute DIY okinomiyaki joint in Causeway Bay. Innovative Japanese concept restaurants seem to be their thing, but instead of an easy, clean-cut idea like choose-your-own-ingredient pancakes, they've gone high end with modern Japanese ideas like a tonkatsu mille feuille and boeuf bourguignon gyoza (dying here). I do plan to check this place out in person, so I'll update more if/when that happens. Menu highlights from the press release also after the cut.

From the sushi bar, creative sushi options - Zenku Zushi – include Margarita merguro sushi (lean cut tuna with a margarita foam), Sushi of Foie Gras and Peach oyster katsu roll as well as the full range of fresh flown in seafood to be served as traditional sushi and sashimi.

Signature appetisers are Cold soba noodles and ponzu with frozen foie gras, Boeuf bourguignon gyoza, and Prawn and Shiro Miso Cappuccino. Mains include Lazy surf and turf, pork tonkatsu mille feuille and Foie loaded quail.

For dessert, sweet treats include Oven roasted banana in soy caramel, soba crumble and miso ice cream and Sake gelee, strawberries pop rocks, lychee snow and Yakult sorbet.








Open Daily for…
Lunch: 11:30am to 3pm
Afternoon tea: 3pm to 6pm
Dinner: Sunday to Thursday, 6pm to 11pm / Friday & Saturday, 6pm to midnight

Contact Details:
Address: 2nd Floor, Nexxus Building, 77 Des Vouex Road, Central
Tel: 2899 2216
Email: manager@zenku-hk.com

This is probably on one of those "you know you're Asian when..." lists already, but it still holds true. You know you're Asian when you squeal like a dirty little Lolita upon seeing anything that is sushi-related -- examples: sushi USB drives at the computer mall, sushi phone charms, sushi erasers, sushi slippers, sushi iPhone games, bag lines named Su-Shi, Hello Kitty dolls dressed up as sushi (no photo but I swear I've seen it) and the other way around, sushi dressed up as Hello Kitty...

So I really thought I'd seen it all when it came to strange interpretations of Japan's most famous food. Trust Demeter, the fragrance purveyor who brought us Dirt, Clean Window, Between the Sheets and Holy Water, to create a scent called "Sushi." Demeter's description reads: "Not what you think it would smell like! Demeter's Sushi is the fresh scent of just cooked sticky rice and straight from the seaside seaweed, laced with hints of ginger and lemon essences. Simply delectable... after all, if it smelled like fish, would you wear it?" Other than making me want to hyphenate "just cooked" and "straight from the seaside," that little paragraph also makes me want to test-drive the scent, except that Makeup Alley's reviews are so-so -- most say it errs too much on the side of citrus, missing out on the oceany nori and the spice of the wasabi... but it's still a nice enough smell. And at US$20 for a one-ounce cologne spray, you're in this for the novelty, anyway.

If you can't break a shopping embargo... divert your cash instead to branded tea sets, like this Chloe-inspired afternoon tea at MO Bar at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. The meal is created by the famed chef Richard Ekkebus (who calls me "Princess," teehee, I think because he doesn't remember my name) based on flavours and scents in the Chloe fragrance, which include lychee, honey, rose, pink peony, freesia, magnolia and lily of the valley. Scones, pastries, finger sandwiches and pastries are all on the menu, as well as a cupcake buffet, which is sure to slay me, the cupcake whore. Yes, I am not ashamed to admit, I am a cupcake whore -- I will have dirty sex with you in exchange for cupcakes (for red velvet ones, I'll do gosh-darned unspeakable acts). But not finger sandwiches, because they sound like sandwiches filled with fingers, and creep me out.

Alright, it's been a long week. Back to reality and the thesis of this post, the Chloe tea set. It being a tea set, it also comes with... wait for it... tea. Or coffee. And a special Chloe gift set, which I'm sensing will include a trial-sized Chloe fragrance. The set is priced at $190 or $360 for two, and is available between 3-530pm daily until the end of September. For reservations, please call MO Bar on + 852 2132 0077.

Who doesn't love bacon and eggs? Some people love it so much that they make cushions as an homage, then sell them to other bacon-and-egg-loving freak shows... as documented here. If you too love bacon and eggs so very much that you can't believe the dish is confined to breakfast diners and Sunday morning at-home fry-ups, then this is a blog post for you.


Sample, courtesy of the California Caviar Company, caviar flavoured to taste like bacon and eggs. For US$15, you get one ounce of the good stuff, and I'd be somewhat disgusted by the thought of this, except that a) bacon-infused ANYTHING normally tastes pretty good; and b) I once scoffed at lychee-flavoured caviar at the Krug Room, and that turned out to be the shizzle indeed, so much so that I need to use ebonics to express how good it was. The company also produces saffron, wasabi, lemongrass, truffle and bourbon-flavoured whitefish roe, if those flavours are more up your alley.

Of course, most of our readers don't live in the States, and the California Caviar Company doesn't ship international. There is instead this other high-end interpretation of the classic breakfast staple: from the pages of Bachelor's Banquet come this bacon and egg risotto, with photo and recipe available at this blog or after the cut. It's making me hungry just to look at it, so I must leave you now with that in order to go scrounge up some calories.



BACON & EGG RISOTTO (serves 2)
Familiar themes make for some of the most satisfying meals. Bacon and eggs are breakfast standards, our risotto takes those themes and reintroduces them with a twist, using egg yolks in place of more conventional cheeses to bring out extra creaminess.

Ingredients
4 slices double smoked bacon
2 cups arborio rice
3 cups chicken stock (page 186), simmering
2 tablespoons celery, grated
2 tablespoons white onions, grated
1 egg yolk
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Garnish
Fleur de sel
Pepper to taste
Truffle oil

Procedure
1) In a large heavy saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat, add grated celery and onions and cook gently for 30 seconds stirring occasionally.
2) Add arborio rice and continue to stir until each grain of rice becomes translucent and coated with oil.
3) Slowly add 1 ladle of stock and stir until the stock evaporates. Repeat this step for about 15 minutes until the risotto is thick, then remove from the heat and allow to cool for 1 minute.
4) In a small bowl break the egg yolk and whisk gently, slowly pour the egg into the risotto while off the heat, stirring constantly until both the egg and risotto are integrated.
5) In a separate frying-pan, sear the pieces of double smoked bacon until dark brown and crispy.

To assemble
1) Divide the risotto into 2 long plates and insert the bacon strips directly into the center of the risotto.
2) To finish drizzle with truffle oil and garnish with a sprinkle of fleur de sel if desired.

Opening image courtesy of bacontoday.com

There are many reasons for me to dislike Katy Perry's latest hit, California Gurls -- consciously bad spelling, for one, irritates the editor in me, while the celebration of the western state of California grates against my East-coast allegiance. But if you hear the damn tune enough times on American radio, you start to get hooked. So hooked that you may, shamefully and covertly mind you, log on to Youtube at work to listen to the song as a mid-day pick-me-up (it's undeniable!). And while you're catching glimpses of the Candyland-inspired video (by the way, Fergie called, she wants her music video set back), you might be fooled into thinking that Katy Perry reads Hong Kong Fashion Geek. After all, she does encounter giant gummy bears, of the ilk once described on this very blog.

What's even funnier, which I discovered while googling "Katy Perry gummy bear" to find an appropriate screenshot, is that thanks to a little gratuitous-yet-graphic finger-pointing, both Trolli and Haribo have denied any affiliation with Katy Perry and/or the fabulous-fingered gummies.

Says the Haribo spokesperson: "We were as shocked as Katy Perry [in the video] when we saw on closer inspection that these were not Haribo Goldbears but poor imitations. After all, Haribo Goldbears are happy, fun and sweet, not rude and crude!" As for the blame-pushing Trolli guy: "Trolli bears would extend their chubby little arms and give Katy a big old bear hug and whisper, 'Everything is going to be all right."

Ironically, gummy bears don't even have fingers, as Perry herself pointed out: "So they just give their paw thing, but we still had to blur it out. I thought it was really cute, and I like that Gummi Bears are really evil." The bears act as an army defending candy kingpin Snoop Dogg... just be careful he doesn't get the munchies.

Remember the dating site that we discovered a while back? The one that is exclusively for Apple fans? Well I just came across this gem of a dating site from Just Salad. Yes you read it correctly, it’s a match-making site based on your salad preferences. Aptly named SaladMatch.com, the site is targeted at “busy young professionals like yourself, who lives a healthy lifestyle and is looking to get to know like-minded individuals. While most dating sites match couples based on conventional interests like hobbies or work, SaladMatch links you together based on which Just Salad location you frequent, when you frequent it, and what ingredients you get in your salad.” Doesn’t get more random than that. No word on whether the matches are for the US only or if they’ve included Hong Kong in their candidate search. SaladMatch is a free online dating service. Sign up at www.saladmatch.com.

We’ve mentioned in the past that H one does some pretty unexpected collaborations which I’m not sure is to the benefit of the self-proclaimed Italian restaurant. I suspect that the powers that be at JC Group have taken note of that post which is why their latest promotion focuses firmly on the Italian aspects of cuisine. (Okay, okay, while I know it’s unlikely that our website has influenced the powers that be, it’s a nice little positive reinforcement for the Geeks so bear with it.) So moving on to the new promotion. H one is offering a Summer Delight Saturday Brunch priced at HK$298 per adult and HK$198 per child, plus 10% service charge.


Appetisers include freshly shucked Pacific Rock oyster, Italian Parma ham with melon, smoked duck breast, organic salad bar, Buffalo Mozzarella cheese with Italian tomatoes, Japanese sashimi, beef carpaccio, Sicilian seafood salad, Hickory smoked salmon, cold cuts and salamis amongst others.

Expect to see a live cooking pasta station that serves three different kinds of pasta accompanied with a wide selection of seafood and condiments, cooked-to-order in tomato sauce, cream sauce or pesto sauce.

Main course choices are Chef Luca’s renowned “Roast of the Day”, wood stone roasted half Maine lobster, and four other dishes with meat, chicken, fish and vegetables, menu changing every week, highlights are charcoal grilled lamb fillet, seared Coral trout, roasted spring chicken and charcoal grilled pork sausage.

For me, the dessert selection of a buffet makes or breaks the deal and this one isn’t half bad. Choose from mini cheese cake, Panna Cotta, Tiramisu, chocolate truffle slice, mini chestnut tart, crème brulee, crunch cake, double chocolate cake, mango mousse cake and a fresh fruit platter.

The Saturday brunch serves from 11:30am to 2:30pm and priced at HK$298 per adult and HK$198 per child, plus 10% service charge.

Advanced reservations are recommended, please call (852) 2805-0638. H one is at Shop 4008, Podium Level 4, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong.

Back in the days when I was on the creative side of an advertising agency, my daily outfits comprised of a pair of jeans, t-shirts and converses. It was also during that period that I fell in love with Threadless. (Some of my favs were documented in this post.) Imagine my delight at discovering Threadcakes! Unfortunately, they are not for purchase but rather is a competition for budding bakers or professional bakers to make cakes inspired by Threadless designs or gluttons like me to ogle over them. Be warned that the site is a great time waster so make sure you have time to spare. Check out some highlights after the cut.

Collective buying websites have been rather popular overseas and now they are making their way into the HK market. Most of the ones we’ve been informed about are generally Chinese sites but that’s all about to change with the launch of ValuUp. How it works is that the site negotiates with brands to offer a discount if enough people sign up for the deal. For their launch deal, ValuUp has joined up with Ben & Jerry’s to give their members 8 scoops of ice-cream for the price of 3. (A mighty good deal considering how expensive Ben & Jerry’s is in Hong Kong. I miss the days of college where we would host Ben & Jerry’s parties as each pint was only about US$2.50 when on sale.) So how to participate in these deals? Register at their site, (it’s free) and you will receive daily emails allowing you to purchase vouchers from local businesses at 50-80% off. We hear that other deals coming up include brands like Elemis Spa, Art Jam, Sideways Driving Club, Yoga Room, Power Plate Institute and Doctor Murad as well as buffets, shopping sprees, bungee jumping, rock concerts and cupcakes to name but a few.

Last week the lovely Jeff took me to Nanhai No. 1 at the top of Tsimshatsui's i-Square mall. Normally our "press lunches" devolve into a session of gossip and girl talk, sometimes at the expense of the food enjoyment, but luckily for this Chinese seafood restaurant, its excellent nosh made enough noise that it couldn't be ignored.

Nanhai No. 1 is undoubtedly going to explode as a tourist destination thanks to its fantastic views through ceiling-to-floor windows, and it's literally down the street from Aqua so shares almost the same stunning perspective, except that it also looks directly into The Peninsula's Felix. And, because the restaurant takes on a nautical theme, there are token-operated binoculars that may or may not allow you to look into Felix's legendary men's bathroom...




Gimmicks aside, Nanhai does really good Chinese food with a focus on animals of a marine persuasion, many of which are displayed through a glass window where the chefs work. Standout dishes include the crispy shredded yam (HK$38), a started that combines a crunchy texture with a lingering sweet tanginess that's quite unique; and the crispy and steamed rice served in lobster consomme ($128, serves four), a must-try. They fry crispy rice and pour it into the heated soup-rice mixture table-side, so you get to watch the sizzle, crackle and pop before you taste the pretty divine combination of rice textures drenched in that heavy, sexy consomme.

In the same venue but to the side, there's Eye Bar, the restaurant's cocktail area, which also encompasses a balcony that would have the potential to become the Sevva of TST, if only it were a bit bigger.


There are also a handful of private booths for small parties, which is nice, as well as round booths a la Wasabisabi.



And upstairs, for the really fancy, is the sister restaurant Guo Fu Lou, which is operated by a restaurant manager and chef who both worked at Fook Lam Moon for over a quarter of a century, each. It's much deeper and more muted and serious than its lower-level compatriot, with only a handful of tables but a dedicated wine cellar and nine private rooms with minimum charges of I think $8,000 (which really, is nothing for the typical Fook Lam Moon crowd). Guo Fu Luo is so cocky, they're not allowing press in to do shootings or tastings, which is really the way to go to establish a name -- good or bad. But my curiosity is certainly piqued. I'd go try it on my own dime, if I weren't still dreaming about that crispy rice soup...

Check out the rest of the food shots below.