We normally try not to bring too many day job references to Hong Kong Fashion Geek but one of my clients is doing a promotion next Tuesday that I simply must tell you about. Wasabisabi, of Aqua Restaurant Group where I took ShoeGeek for a tasting a few months back, is serving up Hong Kong’s largest bottle of sake. Just how big is this bottle of sake? Well, let’s put it this way. They need to have a crane-like cradle to help pour the drink as the bottle is so heavy. (For those wondering, the bottle in the images is empty.) This 18-litre bottle of sake is the group’s largest personally labeled bottle of sake in Hong Kong and made by Taiko Sake in Nagahama, Japan which has a history traced back to the Samurai period and has been a family business since 1672.

Come June 15 at 7:30pm, patrons at Wasabisabi will be able to experience this Sake Samurai Tasting Dinner with not just this bottle of daiginjo sake but also a range of other sakes from Taiko Sakes. Check out the menu after the cut.


Sake Samurai Tasting Menu
Tuesday 15th June
$500 + 10% per person

Sashimi
Minced fatty tuna with avocado
Botan prawn with cod roe mayo
Fresh smoked salmon with onion sauce
(Sake matching - Taiko Kurokabe)
……………

Appetizer platter
Goose liver hot mousse with Japanese black vinegar
Steamed crab egg custard with wasabi air
Japanese style tomato and mozzarella salad
(Sake Matching – Tokubestu Junmai)
……………….

Mikan mandarin sorbet
……………….

Baked pomfret with mushroom and french beans
garlic soy oil
(Sake Matching – Taiko Daiginjo)
…………….

Soft braised Japanese pork loin in fish stock
and sansho miso
(Sake Matching – Taiko Regular Sake)
……………

Shiratama dango rice cake with yuzu and sweet soy sauce
(Chef Iwahashi’s handmade plum wine)

For reservations please call (852) 2506 0009 or email wasabisabi@aqua.com.hk.

It's cool that FashionGeek works in PR now, because then she can take me to "PR dinners" which are essentially extended disco mixes of our usual gossip lunches. A couple of weeks ago, she escorted me to Aqua to test out (er, pig out on) the new menu designed by their new chef and maitre'D. Excuse my ridiculously bad iPhone photos below. We ordered one of everything on the menu... and pretty much finished it all. Muahaha.

Aqua is one of those places that you go when you have friends in town. It's trendy and happening and has a kick-ass view and pretty decent food and crazy funky cocktails, so your out-of-towners think that you might be some sort of Hong Kong version of Carrie Bradshaw. (When really all you do is watch re-runs of Friends all day long and walk the dog five times a day.) If this sounds a little like you, then here's a guide to the best dishes so you can act like you know what's good.

Foie gras is always a favourite, and paired with shrimp and balsamic-anointed strawberries, it's even better. The scallops were also cooked well. For the mains, I think the pasta trumped secondi dishes. You've heard me rave about Aqua's desserts before... and I took full advantage of FashionGeek's limited stomach capacity when the sweet stuff arrived this time, I think I cleared 3/4 of that dessert platter on my own.

Looking forward to checking out Hullett House which is now officially open (although getting my lazy ass over to TST is going to be the biggest hurdle). History class was a nightmare for me, after having my high school history teacher wrote that I responded to questions "like a deer in headlights", on my report card. The parents were not happy. I am, however, on board with learning about the past of our culture via food and hospitality. I wrote about the opening in a post back here, but now we have full details on the various citizens that will populate the building.

First up, there are 13 unique suites, totalling 800-1100 ft in size, each. Every room follows a different theme in China's past, from Imperial China (red lacquer galore) to 1930s Shanghai (jazzy and moody). Then there are five restaurant-bars, including:

- The Parlour, for ye olde English afternoon tea by day, lounge by night.
- Loong Toh Heen, for Chinese.
- Stables Grill, for casual tapas and grilled food.
- St George, for western fine-dining done by Philippe Oricco, protege of Pierre Gagnaire.
- And finally Mariner's Rest, serving up cold beers and British gastropub fare, paying homage to the seamen who once populated the address decades before (and you can even grab a drink in what used to be the jail cells).




The whole affair is helmed by Aqua group, so you are guaranteed flashy interiors (the pictures say it all) with fairly decent food. I'm travelling again next week but I'll hopefully get a chance to test-drive on return.

Hullett House is at 2A Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong, tel: 852 3988 0000.

Never thought there was a learning curve to drinking, but then again, you learn something new every day! And that "something new" could be how to mix fab cocktails just like the bartenders at Aqua. Two classes are being hosted by their kooky new mixologist, Paulo Figueiredo, on May 2nd at Aqua Spirit, and on May 9 at Yun Fu, from 4:30-6pm. The classes are titled "Do you know your margarita from your mojito?" and promise to teach you all you need to know to become the toast of the town (pun intended).