The Price of Food

Bann Klang Nam: a Thai Family Restaurant

2011-03-22T15:13:00.000+08:00

While America has Denny's as its premier family dining restaurant, Thailand has Bann Klang Nam (roughly translated to "House in the Middle of the Water"), and with it's "II" prefix, its a chain which caters to families and small parties.

Serving a range of typical Thai food and some seafood, it also offers a few Japanese sashimi and sushi dishes just in case you wanted something different. The Rama III branch is often jam packed during the weekends, and reservations are necessary to get a table beside the river.

Prices are quite reasonable, and you could easily get a decent meal for two people for under 600 baht (US 16 dollars). In the picture below, we've ordered green curry, fried shrimp patties served with sweet plum sauce, stir fried vegetables as well as Kang Kai Cha Om, or Curry with Scrambled egg. All very typical fare, but filling and good.

Menus are also available in English, and this place has been named one of the best restaurants in Thailand Tatler in 2006, so you can't go wrong. Parking is a bit skimpy, so make sure to arrive early.

Call ahead for reservations: http://www.baanklangnam.net/

Red Wings Korean Chicken

2011-03-09T14:15:00.001+08:00

Hungry for fried chicken, Adam and I decided to try Red Wings Fried Chicken in the Western Addition/Nopa area of San Francisco which is actually fairly close to our neighborhood. The chicken was amazing, but a little pricey. It tasted like they use mostly thigh meat, as the chicken was super tender.

Although not really wings, a half order of the fried chicken is 8.50 USD, whereas the grilled versions run between 11-15 USD.

Complimentary pickles and radishes are also served at the beginning of the meal and on the side with the fried chicken specials.

1 Large OB beer (enough for two people)
Complimentary pickle and radish
Half order fried chicken
Full order grilled chicken

Total: 38 USD after tax and tip

Flash Summit "Free" Lunch

2011-03-08T05:47:00.001+08:00

I am always fascinated by things like subsidized or "free" food. This past week was the annual Game Developer's Conference and I attended the Flash Summit. The lunch box included a bag of Sun Chips, a turkey sandwich with a cranberry relish, 1/4 cup of pasta salad, 1/4 cup of caprese salad that tasted like rancid olive oil, a fuji apple, and a cookie. The food was ok, but I had to remove the top half of the bun on my sandwich because it was so thick. Gross!

Flash Summit sub-par "bento" lunch: included in 175.00 USD ticket to conference, paid by my company

Un-Kraft Your Life with this Giant Block of Turkish Feta

2011-03-07T05:31:00.003+08:00

a photo by pintobean on Flickr.

Most of my shopping is not done at large supermarkets such as Safeway or Albertson's or Kroger's etc (GASP!), instead I usually hit up the local delis and markets in my neighborhood, mostly out of laziness since they are only a few blocks away. My last post demonstrated what a great deal I can get on extremely high-quality smoked salmon. Keeping an open mind on what to eat, and trying substitutions in my diet, has allowed me to come across some very delicious edibles that often end up being healthier choices.

Speaking of diet, the amount of dairy I eat only proves my Western-ness, but at least I can add a little culture (hehehe, get it?) with an alternative to those giant bricks of unnaturally orange extra sharp cheddar. This 17.65 oz tub of feta cheese costs 5.99 USD before tax. Surprisingly soft, I have been spreading it on toast, crumbling on salads, and using it as an alternative to cream cheese and ricotta. This giant tub comes all the way to the US from Turkey, and is actually a cow's milk feta. That means it is extremely unsustainable if you are a localvore, but totally awesome if you are worn out on spreadable cheeses from (achem) Kraft Foods. Thus successfully convincing myself that imported Turkish cheese is harmless, I will continue to relish in this crumbly brick of white deliciousness.... sometimes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

According to the packaging, this block contains ~ 16 servings of cheese, thus, here is my breakdown:

ULKER White Feta:
5.99 USD a tub
.33 USD / oz
.37 USD a serving
~70 calories an oz ;)

Dusit Thani Greek Salad

2011-03-07T01:03:00.027+08:00

The Dusit Thani makes an excellent hearty salad, and their Greek salad is stuffed with so much that it can easily be a fulfilling meal.

By Karn G. Bulsuk

Price: 260 baht (plus 7% VAT and 10% Service Charge)

The Greek Salad here is stuffed with plenty of thick chunks of cheese, in addition to crispy romaine lettuce, bell peppers, pickled olives, red onions and fresh rosy tomatoes. It's served in a fried dough/cracker bowl, which is edible and tastes quite good, and topped off with a hearty vinaigrette.

The salad is an excellent meal on its own, and with pizza, proved to be an excellent end to the day.

The Pieces of a Better (and Cheaper) Fishy Breakfast

2011-03-06T02:53:00.003+08:00

a photo by pintobean on Flickr.

My car was due for some new tires and the tire shop is right by a branch of the famous San Franciscan Boudin bakery. I decided to grab a baguette this morning and on the walk home I picked up some protein to go with the bread: smoked salmon sold by the pound at our local Russian deli, yum!

Baguette: 2.35 USD after tax
Smoked Salmon: 5.07 USD for .39 lbs (yup that is 13 dollars a pound, but who eats a pound of smoked salmon?)

My boyfriend and I made a fancy breakfast of lox and delicious bread that would have cost at least twice as much, for about half as much salmon, if we had gone out to a local brunch place. Plus, we still have half the baguette left. Who wants a Nutella and baguette snack this afternoon?

Bim Bap at Kosirae

2011-02-28T00:57:00.000+08:00

Bim Bap with Beef

Kosirae, Sukhumvit Soi 55, Bangkok, Thailand

Price: 300 baht (US $9.73)

By Karn G. Bulsuk

Like other major metropolitian cities, Bangkok has its fair share of ethnic restaurants run and own by the original creators of the food. There is sizeable Korean population in Bangkok and with it comes excellent Korean food.

Located just off Sukhumvit 55 (Soi Thong Lo) and accessible by the BTS Skytrain, Kosirae is owned and run by a Korean family, offering both a la carte and a 290 baht Korean barbecue pork buffet. Having come for the highly recommended buffet before in which they use hot coals to power your stove, I wanted to try out the a la carte menu as well.

I ordered the Bim Bap with beef (300 baht or US $9.73), which is basically served in a piping hot stone bowl with raw beef on top. You would then stir the beef and mix it with the rice, in which it will quickly cook and become well done, given the immense heat of the stone bowl. An hour later, the bowl was still warm. The rice itself also comes mixed with flavourings as well as fresh mountain vegetables.

As part of the set, you also receive a set of nine side dishes which you can ask to be refilled as many times as you want. These side dishes include kimchi, fruit salad and very delicious spinach, which is crispy and has a very distinct flavour. The side dishes themselves are very tasty and almost constitute a meal in itself.

The bim bap was scrumptious and came with a bowl of soup, which helped to counter the stronger and spicy taste of the side dishes.

It's an experience, but the price of the bim bap is rather expensive, given that its 10 baht more than the buffet. That said, it's trying to understand the taste of Korean food, but I would probably come back for the buffet next time.

Curry Ramen and Tonkotsu Ramen at Ramen Tei

2011-02-21T00:00:00.000+08:00

Ramen Tei, Sukhunvit 33/1 (Japan Town)
Curry Ramen and Tokotsu Ramen

Price: 180 baht (US $5.83)

Ramen Tei is an institution that has been around in Bangkok's Japan Town for as long as memory serves. Targeting the large Japanese expatriate community, they serve authentic an authentic menu of ramen in typically Japanese surroundings.

When stepping into the restaurant, the entire staff will greet you with a hearty "irrashaimase!", while you can choose to be seated at normal tables, at the ramen counter or of course, at the tatami tables.

Their ramen doesn't come cheap though, starting at around 180 baht (US $5.83) for a bowl. Their tonkotsu ramen is excellent: the soup is hearty and creamy and stays true to its Hakata origins, and one bowl will fill you up. It comes accompanied with the usual condiments, including a few slices of Japanese roasted pork (chashu), cabbage and other vegetables.

Having always come here to have the tonkotsu ramen, I decided to go for the curry ramen. I am quite a big fan of curry, and while living in Japan, I often went around different shops just to sample the different and unique varieties of curry on sale.

The curry ramen is basically ramen soup, with thick curry poured on top. When mixed together, the curry is watered down to the right consistency for ramen. It comes with vegetables and thick chunks of pork.

The flavour is strong and the meat is well marinated. For such as strong tasting food such as curry, its surprising to see that the texture and flavour of the ramen is well maintained.

If you have deep pockets, then Ramen Tei comes highly recommended. For a taste of the Japanese ambiance in the heart of Thailand, watch the short video below.

Dusit Thani Italian Pizza

2011-02-14T01:00:00.005+08:00

Hotels normally have good pizza. The Dusit Thani with its gas fired ovens and home made pizzas is no exception to the rule.

By Karn G. Bulsuk

Dusit Thani, Hua Hin: San Marco Italian Restaurant

Price: 350 baht (plus VAT and service charge)

Staying at the Dusit Thani Hua Hin on company tab gives you the benefit of enjoying the food there without having to worry too much about the cost - especially since you don't really have a choice when you can't get out into town without a car.

The hotel has an Italian restaurant called San Marco. Its an outdoor restaurant adorned with pictures of Venice and like its namesake, San Marco square, and serves a good selection of Italian food. They also happened to have a pizza oven and made hand made pizza, which is why we ordered the pizza pictured above.

For around 350 baht (plus tax and service charge), we received a freshly baked pizza with a decent set of toppings. The crust was crispy but soft, while the cheese, toppings and sauce all equalized, and one did not over power the other. It was a good pizza which I would certainly be glad to order again.

Sumiyaki Coffee

2011-02-11T10:38:00.001+08:00

Scant aroma; and even less acidity: just the way I like it.

The presentation is like that in the menu.

Sumiyaki Coffee
$52.80 ($48 + 10% service charge)
Suzuki Cafe (Vicwood Plaza)

I generally can't tell the difference between good coffee and bad coffee. On this occasion, however, I could taste the difference in acidity between this coffee and others that I have had recently. This coffee was verily mild: no pretentious aroma. Although this coffee is the second most expensive siphon coffee on the menu, (Blue Mountain is the most expensive.) the coffee, I believe, is worth the price because it occupies that coveted low acidity niche on the menu.

Khao Soi

2011-02-05T00:33:00.003+08:00

Khao Soi (Northern Thai Noodles with Chicken and Curry)
Ros Niyom, La Villa, Ari, Bangkok, Thailand.
Price: 80 baht

Khao Soi is a traditionally northern Thai dish, found in Chiang Mai. It's basically chicken with curry, served with a mix of crispy and soft yellow noodles.

Like the ubiquitous fried rice, the taste varies depending on which shop you go to. The curry here is thick and tasty, and they give you a nice large piece of chicken. The lime, raw red onion and pickled vegetables provided as condiments are in the correct proportions, and compliment the dish exactly.

Ros Niyom, which roughly translates to "the taste which is popular", is an offshoot of iBerry, a Thai premium ice cream chain. They also serve other traditional Thai dishes such as green curry, and they also have an English menu. Their selection of dishes is small, but they are all good.

The decor is made to resemble an old Thai shop reminiscent of the 60s and 70s, except with air conditioning and much higher hygiene standards. The service is simple but snappy, while the choice of drinks is also very traditionally Thai.

It comes highly recommended if you're in Thailand. The establishment is a shop in the La Villa shopping village, which is beside BTS Ari.

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Make It Yourself: Polenta

2011-02-01T12:39:00.002+08:00

In the rural south of the U.S.A, what the Italian's call "polenta" Americans call "cornmeal mush". Which one sounds more appetizing? I picked up a pack of Franch brand "Palenta", the most generic looking stuff I have ever seen, at the local Russian-owned market. For 2.29 USD, this box yields over two cups of dry cornmeal. I cooked it up and let it solidify so I could slice it like the polenta you get in the sausage-shaped packages. I have enough to last for dinner for two for an entire week, and I cooked up about 10 slices already!

One of those sausage shaped packages will set a hungry fellow around 3-4USD depending on the quality.

Was the 70 cents I saved worth the extra 5 minutes I had to stir the stuff and then the 40 minutes I had to wait to let it cool in the fridge? Considering I have at least twice the amount in one of those packages just in leftovers, I think so!

Franch "Palenta": 2.29 USD a box!

Fast Fowl: Quail or the Colonel?

2011-01-31T12:10:00.004+08:00

Everyone loves good and FAST chicken, and on a lazy day some will turn to a bucket of the Colonel's Original Recipe. A healthier, but alas pricier, alternative is quail, which I can purchase at the local Russian-owned deli and market. One is about the size of a chicken thigh. I ended up eating two. The best part is that they are pre-marinated and cook up in less than 30 minutes in the oven! The worst part is that we bought 4 (two for me and two for my boyfriend), and that jacks up the price to 12 USD for a meal for two.

So here is a little Price and Health comparison:

Royal Market Quail: 2.99USD each
Guilt factor: not sure, I have no idea if they are organic or cage free
Health factor: high - they were baked, not fried!
Easy factor: high, these cook really quickly and are already marinated for maximum deliciousness

The unhealthier alternative:

Bucket of 6-piece KFC Original Recipe: 11USD
Guilt Factor: HIGH, they say these poor chickens have their beaks snipped off in the factory
Health factor: low, notice the first word of "fried chicken"
Easy factor: extremely high since it is fast food

Victoria Park Flower Market Food

2011-01-31T11:40:00.000+08:00

Stinky Tofu ($10)
Traditional Coconut and Candy Wrap ($6)
Victoria Park Flower Market
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

The crush at the Victoria Park Flower market wasn't as oppressive as I thought it would be on a Sunday evening. The intractable crowds mainly stayed in the shopping lanes between the rows of stalls, and at the food corner near the park's toilets, there was ample elbow room to buy and to consume some local delicacies. My friends and I first tried some traditional coconut and candy wraps, sickly sweet concoctions that went down fast. On the other hand, we more meticulously savored the stinky tofu. I tried it for the first time, in fact, and was taken aback not by the stink, which ironically sufficiently defused the closer we approached the tofu stand, but by the grease into which the tofu was dumped and which coated the bag and my hand. That was pretty disgusting. Nonetheless, the tofu proved a big hit in my group, three of taking the plunge. With a bit of sauce, a choice of sweet, or spicy, the tofu verily lit up my palette, and it filled me to boot. Trying stinky tofu is definitely one experience worth having while in Hong Kong.

Slim Taste

2011-01-31T11:30:00.000+08:00

Slim Taste
9/F 11 Stanley Street, Central
Hong Kong

A friend recommended this restaurant and, two weeks later, I visited the venue, discreetly placed in an innocuous building near Lan Kwai Fong in Central. Nestled between larger, more prominent restaurants, the restaurant is certainly a hidden gem and worth a visit if only to take refuge from the hustle and bustle of Central life.

The selling point of the restaurant is the cardboard decor. From the furniture, including cup holders, seats, stools and tables, to the bathroom signs, everything is made of cardboard. The scene is incredible at first blush; I certainly couldn't believe that cardboard and lots and lots of masking tape could support such an enterprise, but the impossibility is the restaurant's appeal, isn't it? Besides, I'm sure this model has been tried in Japan (Maybe, the products were made in Japan.) and what kitsch appeals in Japan may also appeal in Hong Kong.

The food is but an afterthought when dining at the restaurant. My friends and I marveled not at the assortment of noodles, meats and buns, steamed, fried, salty, sour, spicy, but at the tables and chairs that could support our weight and which, at that time, remained untarnished by spills, drops and other natural foodie disasters. Nevertheless, the food was delicious and reasonably priced. (My group of six split a check of $309.) I tried the purple rice buns, that come steamed or fried, and they were quite filling. Next time, I will try the purple rice noodles, which also came highly recommended. I don't think eating here will break your budget; then again, it certainly won't leave you feeling slim!

Waffles

2011-01-29T14:56:00.000+08:00

From top to bottom: strawberry waffle with gelato; blueberry waffle with cream

Waffles

$38 (waffle with gelato); $28 (waffle with cream)

Pappa Gallo, Langham Place, Mong Kok

On a whim, I stepped into the Pappa Gallo dessert shop in the Langham Place basement and was pleasantly surprised by its diverse menu. The shop specializes in waffles, crepes and other desserts that would more likely be found in a shop in Korea or in the States than in a Hong Kong restaurant. I ordered a $28 blueberry waffle while my friend ordered, for $10 more, a strawberry waffle with his choice of gelato. The presentation of both were exquisitely presented, and no sooner had I taken the above photos than I scarfed down my waffle by the fork-load. Sweet, filling and inexpensive, that is an unbeatable combination!

In fact, I was more interested in trying out their Lavazza coffee, which can be purchased for only $15 (regular price, $20) with the purchase of any meal. Unfortunately, I had already had two cups of coffee earlier in the day so that seductive Lavazza will have to wait until I return!

Excellent Fried Fish Fillets in Thailand

2011-01-22T08:19:00.000+08:00

Affordable and good Western food in Thailand is hard to find, and usually you would get one but not the other. This small shop, only known to locals, offers both and provides good food at excellent value.

Fried Fish set with Toast and Salad: 45 baht (1.48 USD)

A plate of french fries: 40 baht (1.00 USD)

On Nut Soi 46, Bangkok, Thailand

At shopping malls or "proper" fish and chip shops or places selling Western food, this could easily go for 150-300 baht. The portions there would be just as equal, and the only benefit is that you get to use a napkin with the shop's name printed on it.

At this particular shop, the food is cheap but good, with large portions. You simply cannot argue with the value it provides.

Although only known to locals and you would need a car to get there, it's worth the trip. The fish is crispy on the outside but maintains its tender texture and softness in the inside, while the french fries (ordered separately) is also freshly fried and crisp.

An additional piece of fish will only set you back 30 baht, which is excellent value given what you would need to pay anywhere else. They also offer food such as steak and som tum, but it truly shines with the fish.

Even though the shop is non-airconditioned, it is equipped with cool water fans which will keep you cool even during the summer months.

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The Restaurant at 22-32 Pok Fu Lam Road

2011-01-20T10:43:00.000+08:00

The restaurant's exterior sign suggests that all sorts of Chinese dishes are served inside.

The daily set menu: we chose plan-A (the chicken) to go with our $52 fish.

It seems as if this restaurant does, indeed, serve everything. Nothing, save for the fish, is priced over $40. Good value!

One fish and one dinner set sets me and my friend back $89.

The clear soup that comes with the set meal

This is set meal A in its entirety. The tea was free, by the way.

Chicken, onion and liver bits

The $52 fish: this guy, according to the waiter, had fewer bones than the other fish on offer.

Fish and Chicken

$52 (fish) and $37 (chicken set meal with rice, vegetable and soup)

22-32 Pok Fu Lam Road

I was scouting this restaurant as a possible venue for an informal gathering that I and my fellow research postgraduate student coordinators were organizing for our constituents. We had heard about this restaurant from an acquaintance, who, last evening, took me to the restaurant. We dined together.

I found this venue suitable because there was, even at the peak dinner time between 19:00-21:00, sufficient seating for nine. (And if not, we could always book, the cashier told me.) The portions and the price were in the right proportion so as to offer good value. (If we order one fish and one set dish for every two people, that will cost each person only $45 dollars.) Besides, the venue is within walking distance from campus.

Dusit Thani Gourmet Salad

2011-01-15T00:58:00.001+08:00

Dusit Gourmet Salad: 280 baht ++ (9.19 USD)
Dusit Thani Hotel, Hua Hin, Thailand

I was staying at the Dusit Thani while I was in Hua Hin over last weekend for business. The Royal Trophy Golf Championships were in full swing, our company was sponsoring it, and I had volunteered to assist our global COO and CEO, which was an amazing experience in itself. That also helps to explain what I was doing staying at the Dusit, which is considered one of the best and most classic of all the Thai hotels.

Three freshly baked bread rolls proved to be
a delicious appetizer

It was late one night and because of the massive buffet I had eaten that afternoon, I only became hungry at 9:00 pm. Not wanting to have a full meal, I decided to go for a salad, which turned out to be a meal on its own.

The Dusit Gourmet Salad consisted of smoked duck breast, Brie cheese on seasonal salad leaves, red onion and tomato, and was served with walnut and raspberry dressing. The smoked duck was firm but tasty while the vegetables fresh, crispy and flawless.

It came with a hearty serving of Brie cheese, which helped to add a hearty flavour to the salad, and its soft taste complemented the sharper tinge of the excellent vinegrette.

At 280 baht ++ (9.19 USD), it's considered very expensive in a place where a local lunch would fill you up and set you back only 100 baht at most (3.28 baht). Nevertheless, the prices are standard for a hotel of this caliber, and it was certainly a salad which didn't hold back.

Fruit Tree Peach and Apple Juice

2011-01-11T15:06:00.000+08:00

Fruit Tree Fresh Peach and Apple Juice

$12.90 (1 liter carton); $21.80/2

Park N' Shop - Des Voex Road Central; Queen's Road West

These days, per my fast, I need juice, and spending $72 per day for a liter of green apple, parsley, spinach and celery juice from Cafe O will fast deplete my income; I need cheaper juice; and I have found it at Park N' Shop.

I had time this morning to browse the juice selection at two Park N' Shops near my church. Surprisingly, both sold their juices at the same prices: no price discrimination here. The International Park N' Shop, however, had a greater selection, and that is where I bought two liters of the Peach and Apple Juice, and I also purchased a liter of carrot juice.

Of the Fruit Tree family of juices, I found the Peach and Apple juice offered the most nutritional value; other juice varieties, and other Fruit Tree flavors contained either too many calories, too much sodium, too much sugar or a combination of the three.

Tub Tim Krob: an excellent Thai dessert

2011-01-03T00:38:00.003+08:00

Tub Tim Krob, a refreshing Thai dessert served with fresh coconut milk and ice shavings is best savored at this speciality store at Thong Lo in Bangkok.

Tub Tim Krob is basically water chestnuts coated with flour and a bit of red syrup, served with coconut milk and crushed ice. The water chestnuts retain their crunchy insides but when you bite into it, you first feel the soft outside.

It's not too sweet, with the ice helping to reduce the amount of sweetness on the tongue.

The particular store I frequent specifically for tub tim Krob is located in Bangkok at Sukhumvit Soi 38, where they have street stalls open at night. The shop (and it is a shop proper and not a stall) is located around 15 meters into the Soi and is on the right.

Other stalls also sell this dessert, but this shop nails it with the perfect water chestnut texture and the right amount of coconut milk, so that it compliments and not overpowers the water chestnut.

At only 20 baht (USD 0.67), it's a nice refreshing end to a good Thai meal.

Edible Screen Printing: 1 Dollar

2010-06-01T05:12:00.005+08:00

Edible Screen Printed Tortilla used for a Cheese Quesadilla
Cost: Practically Free
Location: Mission District, SF

March 31 was Cesar Chavez Day. Lots of activist and local school and community set up shop in the Mission District of SF to celebrate the birthday of this labor activist. The Farm Workers Union was handing out a print maker's dream (or worst nightmare???): cheese melted in between tortilla's that the union members were screen printing on! I think the "ink" was made with special food coloring.

A Tai Hing Breakfast

2010-05-23T16:09:00.000+08:00

A fried egg, toast, ham macaroni and milk tea

Breakfast Set
$24
Tai Hing Restaurant (Tung Choi Street, Prince Edward)

I finally had a chance to step into this restaurant one morning and scarfed this meal before heading down to the island. Originally, I thought this cost only $22 -- that price first lured me onto the premises -- but I was so satisfied with the meal that when I read the bill, rescanned the menu and realized I had misread the price, I gladly paid $24, for there I perceive much value in the food itself; besides, the decor is tastefully done for a cha chaan teng chain, and is definitely less tacky than the interior of Tsui Wah.

FYI: This restaurant chain markets its own brand of canned milk tea, which I have seen on sale in Park N Shop.

More Plain Congee

2010-05-23T15:58:00.000+08:00

No MSG in this plain congee

Plain Congee (with extra spring onions and fried bread bits)
$8 ($4 per bowl)
CityU Canteen

While waiting in the chow line one morning, I overhead one of the canteen staff tell another customer that all the congee save for the plain congee were doused with MSG. And then this revelation hit me like a tin to the head: small wonder the other congees in the canteen as well as the (best) plain congee in Hong Kong were so delicious: they themselves were drowning in flavor enhancer, and no more stood on their own original merits than a professional athlete relies on his own physique for performance; MSG is a food steroid!

Indeed, to test this hypothesis, I ordered these two bowls of plain congee and without the chemical enhancement of MSG, they truly tasted like insipid, clear soup with rudiments of vegetable and starch in them. MSG, therefore, it goes without saying, makes everything in the bowl, from the spring onions to the rice grains, taste better!

Plain Congee

2010-05-16T15:01:00.003+08:00

Plain Congee (with extra spring onions)

On the corner of Jordan Road and Wai Shing Street, Jordan

After I had left house church one evening, while I was rambling through Jordan on my way to the MTR station, I stopped by a new congee shop and tried their "white," which, for $5, had to be a bargain no matter what my stomach would say.

Unfortunately, the congee was watery and the portion was so meager that, in a flash, I had emptied my bowl. In fact, in the end, I decided that the congee wasn't worth the $5 that I had spent -- beware!

My Sunday morning breakfast: plain congee (with extra spring onions); and peanut butter toast.

Plain Congee (with extra spring onions)

On Des Voex Road Central, near Sheung Wan Exit B

I've been frequenting this place for over a year, and have made it a habit to have breakfast there every Sunday before the 10:00 service. The plain congee is the best in Hong Kong because not only is the portion significantly generous, the congee itself tastes good -- thick; the color of milk; no visible grains -- a product, undoubtedly, of slow cooking over several hours, if not days.

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Magners Irish Cider: Miss Hatton Wins!

2010-03-25T08:50:00.002+08:00

Pint of Magners Cider
Haight-Ashbury SF at Martin Macks Irish Pub
5 USD

Mr. Woo posted a while back that he imbibed in some Magners cider whilst gallivanting around Macau. Today is the day I rub it in his face that my pint o' deliciousness was 2.50 USD cheaper than his, well, after conversion. Apparently, 60 MOP is roughly 7.51 USD. Wow, that is a high price to pay for a bottle of cider. I was able to pay only 5 USD at a nearby Irish bar in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, called Martin Macks, for a full pint of the stuff (ice apparently not included this time). Ok ok ok, this really isn't fair, but I just love the running theme we have on this blog. Sarah posts expensive Asian dish, Karn/Mr. Woo/Wynnie posts expensive Western dish... do we need to just do a housing swap for a week so we can get our cravings in? I guess the prices would never make up the difference of an expensive plane ticket to the other's country.

The Price of Pho(od)

2010-03-21T08:19:00.004+08:00

Pho, Vietnamese noodle soup, is a pretty popular dish around my neighborhood due the diverse population. My boyfriend and I stick to two places, Pho Clement II and Pho Garden, with the latter being the trendier and more expensive of the two. In this post I provide some ratings on the two places. It wouldn't be fare to compare two different dishes, so here I compare both shop's offering of the type of pho with everything. I like to just call it the number one, because usually the first item on the menu includes the style of pho that I like: rare steak, flank, brisket, tendon, beef balls, tripe, etc...

Your typical x-large order of everything (flank, rare steak, tripe, tendon, etc), called the Pho Garden or Xe Lua

Place: Pho Garden
Dish: the "#1", called Xe Lua here
Broth: translucent and fragrant
Meat to noodle ration: slightly lower than Pho Clement II
Quality of sides: High -- Thai basil is fresh, bean sprouts are crisp, limes are juicy
Atmosphere: 5 stars due to their eating contest called the Pho Challenge, the place is always packed and festive feeling full of families sitting at huge tables, it is painted bright green and it smells awesome
Aesthetic Rating: 5 stars, you gotta love their beautiful bowls
Price: 8.50 USD

The x-large at Pho Clement II is packed full of meat, but I feel their broth lacks the pearly translucence that makes Pho Garden's so appetizing

Place: Pho Clement II
Dish: the "#1", known as phở đặc biệt
Broth: foggy
Meat to noodle ration: tons of meat, sometimes I can't even finish the noodles
Quality of sides: Medium -- Thai basil is occasionally brown at edges, bean sprouts are crisp, limes are often lemons
Atmosphere: 3 stars, the place is often empty, the fluorescent lights are jarring, sometimes it smells a little off, the Russians love this place though, and sometimes Jackie Chan is on the TV
Aesthetic Rating: 2 stars, bowls are just white
Price: 7.50 USD

So with these ratings, you would think Adam and I would stick to Pho Garden, considering that for 1 USD more, we get higher quality. The problem with Pho Garden is that it is packed all the time, and sometimes the wait can be longer than an hour. These long waits stem from families coming in hoping that their best nephew can complete the Pho Challenge, or, eat an enormous 20 dollar bowl of Pho in under one hour and thus get the bowl of Pho for free. When we see tons of kids waiting outside, we assume the worst and run, fast, to Pho Clement II.

Tony Roma's in Thailand

2010-03-14T23:00:00.002+08:00

While immensely good, Tony Roma's in Thailand proves to be an extremely expensive proposition.

By Karn G. Bulsuk

Tony Roma's is famous for its ribs, which are done so that they literally fall off the bone. Cooked in a variety of sauces, the restaurant has gone upper-scale since leaving the US and landing in sites in Asia.

In Thailand, the price of Tony Roma's puts it squarely into the range of the expensive and luxurious, suitable fare only for the affluent bourgeois willing to blow over 1,500 Thai Baht (45 USD) for a meal for a family of 4, in a country where 1,000 baht is more than what the average person earns in three days of work.

Starters cost around 300 baht up (9.12 USD), while main courses start at 250 baht (7.68 USD) and go up to 600-800 baht (18.25-24.33 USD).

The taste is authentic, and are cooked using the same techniques as the ribs in America. The meat is tender and sweet, and does fall off the bone according to Tony Roma's lore. The coleslaw is delicious and feels home made, while the baked potato skins has a generous helping of cheese and bacon bits smothered on top.

Tony Roma's is known for its ribs, but the same can't be said for its burgers. Arriving with a barely cooked beef patty, it felt as if even the average Joe could've thrown it together. The toppings on the burger are decent though, as are the freshly fried, hot and crispy french fries.

We went as a group of 10, and we averaged around 350 baht per person for the entire meal. It's an expensive proposition to go eat at Tony Roma's alone, so unless going with a group, on company budget, or desperate to get some excellent ribs, it may not be the first choice on my list.

Tony Roma's Burgers

Patisserie Tony Wong

2010-03-09T16:30:00.000+08:00

Patisserie Tony Wong from David Woo on Vimeo.

The bakery in Kowloon City has received many positive reviews on Openrice; and indeed, when I visited the store last Saturday, the line stretched out the door, which attracted even more onlookers. By the time my friend and I ventured inside, unfortunately, only the reserved cakes remained; all the small cakes were sold out!

There is no seating inside the patisserie. Prepare to stand in line, and subsequently to eat, standing.

We ended up having dessert in Sweetacy in the mall nearby.

Almost 75% Filling, But Not Quite...

2010-02-21T05:59:00.005+08:00

Quadratini Bite Size Wafer Cookies: 3.99 USD
Cost of the filling in the cookie: 2.95 USD

I picked up these wafer cookies as a snack for hiking the other day. I bought them from one of the Russian-owned markets in our area. Imported from Italy and Tiramisu flavored, they were insanely super tasty, but the joy of eating them was in knowing that 74% of my cookie was filling. This joy was bittersweet though, as I wondered, with every bite of my bite-sized cookie, where that extra 1% of filling was that could have made it a whole three quarters worth. Maybe humans just can't handle the extra creaminess.

Clearly the Italians aren't trying hard enough, why couldn't they squeeze in that extra 1% of filling?

Blue Bottle Coffee: San Francisco's Awesome Bean

2010-02-12T13:52:00.000+08:00

Blue Bottle Coffee: 3.00 USD Located in and around SF, this time purchased at the Ferry Building during the Farmer's Market

Blue Bottle uses single serving drip filters, it takes about ten minutes to get your coffee, but it is worth it!

Do you press, drip or percolate? Blue Bottle Coffee makes that choice for you with their single-serve, paper-filter drip process. It is quite the spectacle but well worth the hefty price of $3 and the ten minute wait. Seriously though, who can turn down a beautiful cup of joe made from beans roasted just a day or so earlier on a sunny day at the ferry pier in San Francisco? Clearly Adam could not!

Adam enjoys his Blue Bottle Coffee after waiting for about ten minutes. Blue Bottle offers sugar as well as organic milk and cream to add to your brew however you see fit!

Cold Drink: Lucky-Harmonious Peach Froyo Smoothie Saves Education

2010-02-08T13:23:00.003+08:00

Harmony Frozen Yogurt in San Carlos, CA. I was interested in the giant ORGANIC lettering on the awning and my otherwise complete inability to figure out what they were actually selling

Thanks to the fact that everyone else who posts on this blog lives in a pretty warm country, I got to seek out a cold drink in February. Even more lucky for me that I live in Northern California where winter in January is around 60F/16C and really sunny! (Wait a sec, 16C in Hong Kong was cold when I lived there!) Anyhow, I couldn't turn down trying to figure out what organic product this ORGANIC ORGANIC ORGANIC place was actually selling when I walked past it the other day while shopping on my lunch break. And hey, I hadn't eaten lunch yet! Lucky for me it was an overpriced smoothie and froyo bar. I decided to grab a peach smoothie with the smallest size being priced at $4.75. I think that is more expensive than Jamba Juice, and there was no protein or energy boost in this frozen peach, 1% milk, and froyo concoction!

Harmony Frozen Yogurt
Peach Smoothie
4.75 USD
My peach smoothie seemed rather small for that price!

My luck persisted and I was happy to note that not only was I forking over almost 5 bucks for 500 calories of not-so-delicious-organice-sludge, I was helping fund suburban schools in one of the nicest neighborhoods along the CalTrain. Good job Harmony, I am sure all the soccer moms buy organic and, thanks to you, you will never mess up the dietary needs of their children when they stop by for an after school snack. Ok ok I am sounding a little mean here, I guess I just would have been happy to pay $3.75 for my smoothie instead.

Apparently what the San Carlos neighborhood property taxes for education don't cover, Harmony makes up for?

Simply Life Bread and Wine, IFC

2010-02-01T15:50:00.001+08:00

Another encounter at Simply Life.

Loose and I decided to share so we could order a few dishes and still have sufficient space remaining for dessert. We ordered the mushroom linguini with truffles and cream sauce and the kale, pine nuts and cranberry salad which sounded really exotic.

After we placed our order, we were served a few slices of bread on a tray with a small pat of butter. The wholewheat sour dough was chewy and had a slight sour taste which was balanced by the butter.

The salad which came shortly, was tangy, sweet and nutty.

Our mushroom linguini was slightly chewy as it was organic whole wheat pasta. The sauce was light and not too creamy.

After our mains, it was time for dessert, what we were both patiently waiting for. We instantly agreed on the banana pie. There was no question about our choice. Bananpie won over Green tea tiramisu, chocolate semifreddo, ( a posh name for choco tart,I guess) and bread pudding. When the banana pie came, it was more extravagant that we remembered. More chocolate shavings and sprinklings of icing sugar. :)

The Menu

Main course: ~100
Salad: ~70
Dessert: 42

The Local Cucumber

2010-02-01T12:49:00.005+08:00

English Cucumbers: .79 USD
Purchased At: El Grande Market, 2214 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA
Compared to: ~ 1.50 at Safeway Supermarket

My boyfriend and I eat a lot of cucumbers! We eat them by themselves, on a sandwich instead of lettuce, with hummus, in salad, or stirred in rice vinegar, fresh dill and sugar for a quick homemade pickle. We usually buy the kind that is wrapped in a plastic sheath (I would like to think of it as a cucumber condom). These are known as English cucumbers, and are usually the most expensive. We can get them at our local market for very inexpensive. Needless to say I was so appalled the other day when we were shopping at a Safeway in Daly City and I saw the same cucumber for sale for about $1.50.

When we do have to shop at Safeway or any major supermarket, to get various cereal and grain products especially the Oroweat Double Fiber products I do so crave, we make a conscious effort to refrain from buying produce, even though it would save time. The luxury of local produce markets is not prevalent all over the US, and thus Adam and I will continue to frequent El Grande, our local market, and appreciate the low priced produce.

El Grande Market, located in the Richmond District of San Francisco, family owned and run

Magners Irish Cider

2010-01-27T00:13:00.003+08:00

Magners Irish Cider (on ice)
MOP$60
McSorley's Ale House (The Venetian, Macau)

I hadn't seen Magners on this side of the Pacific; and what's more, I hadn't imbibed this delicious cider in a long, long time, my last tipple being several years ago, in an Irish pub in West Orange, New Jersey. Small wonder my eyes lit up at the sight of Magners on the menu of the McSorley's Ale House in the Venetian. My time in Macau was about to become much sweeter.

My friend and I each ordered a bottle, I guessing that the pub would serve the smaller-size bottles to which I had grown accustom in NJ. However, when the bottles -- thick and massive, much like the casino in which they were served -- arrived, I knew I had a lot of drinking to do, since my friend had already consumed some alcohol earlier in the evening and besides, she was driving! I prepared for a triple portion of icy refreshment.

Magners goes down cold, smoothly; the amber nectar has a mild, sweet taste; and I enjoyed every generous sip!

True Coffee

2010-01-26T00:00:00.000+08:00

True Coffee: Thailand’s answer to Starbucks, and More

By Karn G. Bulsuk

Iced Velvet Chocolate: 80 baht/glass

The True Corporation in Thailand does many things. It runs a mobile phone service, fixed line service, broadband internet service, a cable TV service and for some reason, a coffee shop.

True Coffee is a locally developed and managed coffee chain competing directly with Starbucks. The interior is plush, comfortable and modern, while it does more than just coffee and iced chocolate. They also offer internet services, through both wireless and internet workstations where people check their email and play online games. They also even have print services, where you can make cute photo books and photo montages, among other things.

It ups Starbucks because it is the place to hang out, and it offers more cool services than Starbucks does.

I was there one evening with a friend, and we just hung around talking over a cup of iced velvet chocolate (80 baht). It’s expensive compared to local wages, where lunch is often 25-30 baht only. All coffee and drinks are around that price range, and it is obvious that True Coffee is truly targeted towards the affluent middle classes.

The chocolate itself was rich and sprayed with a generous portion of whipped cream, but there wasn’t anything particularly unique about it. If anything, it felt like we were paying more for the décor than the drinks.

Despite the prices, it’s a really nice play to hang out so I’ll certainly be heading there again with friends.

Burgeroom

2010-01-22T22:52:00.000+08:00

As per usual, my Friday burger ritual continued in celebration of the week's end. The week had been full of anxiety and stress and I really needed the assuaged of a juicy burger and a good friend.

We had dinner at Burgeroom in Causeway Bay. It was my second time there. I was appealed by the joint's unique ingredients such as softshell crab burger, chicken and duck breast burger, foigrais burger and lobster burger to name a few.

I decided sample the classic offerings before venturing to the Avant Garde. Last time, I had the Portabello burger of which the mushroom bursted with fragrance and flavour. This time I chose the Chili Beef Burger, which had a chili coleslaw with the patty. This gave the burger a spicy flavour which I liked, being a fan of the spices.

Fran had the mushroom beef burger, and judging from the number of crumbs on her face. I think she really enjoyed.

We also had a serving of wedges, which were delivered to us hot and crunchy. After I finished my burger I continued to attack the wedges with a vegeance, my excuse was I was on a mission to carbo load for an event on Sunday, which is always a good excuse.

Price: Burgers = 60HKD, comparable with other gourmet joints, Wedges = 22HKD, good bargain for the serving size

Value: I walked out FULL.

Ajisen Ramen - Japanese noodles in Thailand

2010-01-21T00:00:00.000+08:00

Ajisen Ramen proves that chain stores can still make decent noodles at a good price.

By Karn G. Bulsuk

Tenderloin beef ramen: 135 baht (4.08 USD)
Bottle of water: 15 baht (0.45 USD)
Ice: 5 baht a glass (0.15 USD)

Ajisen Ramen is a Japanese fast food chain selling Japanese noodles with chains across the globe, which actually makes decent noodles.

I’ve often found that noodle chains tend to taste more artificial than your traditional local family run stores, as they take shortcuts to make the same bowl of noodle over and over again, but Ajisen Ramen was a rather pleasant surprise.

I ordered the beef tenderloin ramen, which came in miso soup-based broth accompanies by cabbage, bean sprouts and other vegetables, along with half a boiled egg.

The broth was delicious and the taste didn’t burn your tongue or throat when eating it. The beef tenderloin had been broiled for so long it was soft and crumbled in the mouth. It had obviously been marinated well, for the taste of the beef itself was excellent, slightly sweet and savory.

At first, I was afraid that the noodles themselves would taste industrial. Here, they were slightly chewy and absorbed some of the broth flavour into it. The texture was good while it didn’t taste pre-processed.

It was a very good meal, and I intend to go back. The prices are reasonable, and a decent bowl of ramen starts at 79 baht (2.39 USD). For that quality, it’s a good deal, although more quantity would have been helpful as well.

There are several branches of Ajisen in Thailand, and the one we went to was on the 6th floor of the MBK shopping complex.

The cafe behind Times Square

2010-01-19T12:34:00.007+08:00

Went to a place to meet up with Anna and Mr. S on New Years Eve before she left. Its was packed in Causeway Bay, not the best time to be going out at 5pm as the barriers were already set up. Nevertheless, we had to meet a final time to bid adieu. I had planned on going to Suzuki again but thought we'd try something new.

We went to a modern cafe behind Time Square, the one with full glass windows. I pass this place daily on the bus on my way to work. The decor was modern and stylish, they paid attention to looks, so I assumed the food might be up to par. We sat down on the high seats. A little packed with the three of us, as I was carrying a backpack and Mr. S wasn't exactly a petite-sized male.

Thought it'd be fun to have something to poke at while having a cuppa coffee, so I decided to check out the bites. The offerings looked ok. Well, to be honest a little bit stale in the glass display. I picked the berry tart which had a bit of colour. Berries can't be that bad. Well, in fact, it can!!

The berries were the only edible part of the tart. The sponge cake filling was dry and tasteless and really like a cosmetic sponge. The tart casing was rock hard like hardened papermache. They made an attempt to dress it up with the berries, but unfortunately, it couldn't mask the terrible tart.

Fail. If you go there don't order the food! My latte was ok. Weird coffee art by Mr. S. Looks like a Gorrilla head. Never had latte where I had to add my own expresso into the cup of foamed milk. Weird.

Expresso was ok according to Mr. S.

Price: Can't remember what I paid. I only remembered this encounter now. I think it was around 9X HKD in total. 3X HKD for coffee, 2X juice and 2X for the sponge tart

Value: (not worth it!)

Ai Ai, this is a Sushi Lie!

2010-01-16T11:53:00.005+08:00

All You Can Eat Sushi (but really just two rolls only!): 13.95 USD
Ai Sushi: Richmond District, San Francisco

Ai Sushi was probably the worst experience I have had so far food-wise in San Francisco. They have a big sign outside advertising "All You Can Eat Sushi" but when you get inside, the waitress informs you that the sign is old and now it is just two extra large rolls for 13.95 per person, dine-in only. What a scam, but we tried it anyways. The sushi was pretty bad, the rice didn't seem fresh and the fish meat seemed too chewy, salty, and tasted a little strange. While we were eating, the waitress came by at least five times to remind us what a good deal it was. Why didn't we walk out immediately and go to one of the 20 other Japanese restaurants in our neighborhood? All you can eat should actually be called "all we think you are able to eat." Needless to say I will never go back.

Although the pieces of salmon and the slices of sushi were large, they were not delicious. Quantity did not make up for quality at Ai Sushi.

Gyudon (Beef Bowl), Japan's answer to McDonald's

2010-01-13T00:00:00.003+08:00

Beef bowl: Delicious! Fast! Cheap! Japan’s answer to fast food and hamburgers.

By Karn G. Bulsuk

Gyudon (beef bowl): 380-630 yen (4.13-6.86 USD), depending on size ordered

Gyudon is cheap. The Japanese answer to McDonald’s and its burgers, gyudon is basically thinly sliced beef and onion stewed in a special sweet sauce, made up of soy sauce, dashi (fish stock) and sweetened sake. The concoction is topped over fluffy Japanese rice and can be served with ginger, a freshly cracked raw egg and a bowl of steaming hot miso soup.

Weighing in at only 380 yen (4.13 USD) for the normal bowl, 480 yen (5.22 USD) for the large bowl or 630 yen (6.86 USD) for the super large bowl, it’s a cheap eat available everywhere you turn in Japan. In fact, you may even weigh the current economic condition by looking at sales of gyudon – the worse the economy is, the more bowls it will sell.

Yoshinoya, Matsuya and Sukiya are the leading gyudon chains in Japan, and like McDonald’s, are located in just about any corner of any Japanese city. They are open 24 hours a day, providing food to hungry salarymen in the mornings and afternoons, and food to drunk people in the wee early morning hours.

Unlike the Yoshinoyas in other countries such as America, the gyudon store setup is normally like a bar where a series of counters greets the casual customer. Orders are taken by the employee who will then literally shout it into the kitchen, where like a chorus it is repeated in enigmatic fashion. The employee will then slide you a cup of hot tea while you wait.

It’s not exactly food for the super health conscious due to the amount of sodium in a bowl – they will often simply fill the existing pot with more ingredients instead of emptying it and washing it out, allowing salt to gradually accumulate over the course of the day. It will fill your stomach, so if you’re ever in Japan on a budget, give it a go and remember to just shout “gyudon omori kudasai!”

***

The video below shows you what a typical ordering experience at Yoshinoya is like, about 1.5 minutes into the video. The store here is the first Yoshinoya store in Japan, which is in Tokyo near the Tsukiji fish market.

Photo credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomoda/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Green Tea Lattes

2010-01-11T14:26:00.000+08:00

Next to the Beanbins, to the shop's left, is a Lavazza coffee shop whose name, I believe, was Red Espresso. That's where Sunny and I met.

Sunny and I smile for the camera. We both had green tea lattes.

I was impressed by the high ceilings and glossy, red walls. The store, furthermore, had mood lighting, as we found out when the manager began turning the lights down...

The sign for the toilets -- apparently, these graphic depictions are catching on as I saw these types of humorous signs in the Beansbins shop in Myeongdong!

Green Tea Lattes

Lavazza Coffee Shop (Red Espresso?) (삼각지역 9출구, 서울)

The shop is quiet, and the sofa an seats are comfortable. It's worth visiting, if only to immerse oneself in a sea of red. Tip: in general, the tea lattes in Korea are more expensive than the coffee choices on the menu.

Lad Naa

2010-01-10T00:29:00.001+08:00

Although you can find lad na everywhere in Thailand, there is only one which really takes the prize for being the best out of all of them.

By Karn G. Bulsuk

Lad na: 30 baht (0.89 USD)
Drink: 10 baht (0.29 USD)

Lad na is a classic Thai dish found in every corner of the kingdom. At its essence, its thick gravy sauce with kale and marinated pork, poured over wide rice noodles.

There are a whole variety of different versions and variations. There are normally three varieties of noodles to choose from: the wide rice noodles, tiny rice noodles (a bit smaller in size to spaghetti) and deep fried crispy noodles. The recipe has also been adapted and at restaurants, different types of meat or seafood can be added while the kale has been replaced by cabbage, carrots and even broccoli.

You will be offered a series of condiments, including chilli, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce for you to flavor the food the way you like it. I’m quite happy with the taste made by the chef though.

The taste differs from store-to-store. The typical food court lad na often has very thick gravy and is often too salty. The road side stall here, despite its location, offers a lighter gravy and with fresh kale, cooked so that it’s still fairly crunchy with pork that’s marinated overnight so the flavor truly comes out when served with everything else. The taste is unparalleled in all the lad na’s I’ve had throughout the country.

This particular stall receives my personal recommendation. At 30 baht per bowl, or 35 if you want additional noodles, it’s certainly a cheap and filling meal. There is also a whole range of drinks from fresh rambutan juice, chrysanthemum tea and of course, Pepsi, for around 10 baht. I usually order ka jeap, which is this sweet but slightly sour fruit drink as you can see on the left.

It's open from Monday to Saturday, from around 10:30 am to 3:30 pm, depending on how fast they sell out. Although it's underneath the freeway, all food is freshly cooked so it's quite safe to eat. The closest MRT station is Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, and the store is located opposite Talad Penang.

View Ladd Na Shop in a larger map

Tacos in the Mission: El Toro

2010-01-09T11:28:00.000+08:00

El Toro: Mission District, San Francisco
1.85 USD / taco

Every neighborhood in San Francisco has a signature food. The Mission District is noted for amazing Mexican food. Lucky for me, Mexican food is always very affordable, filling, and sometimes even healthy! El Toro is a famous taqueria located at 17th and Valencia. At a buck eighty-five per taco you can't get much better. They also have a great salsa bar (you can see the salsas I chose in the upper right hand corner of the photo) and the side of guacamole I bought was very delicious and super fresh. In the picture above we have carnitas, al pastor, and carne asada meats.

Cafe Coreano

2010-01-08T20:51:00.004+08:00

Cafe Coreano, with Combination Waffle
WON 4,500 (coffee)
Beansbins Coffee, Myeongdong, Seoul

I spent a blustery, snowy afternoon inside the Beansbins coffee shop, just off the main thoroughfare in Myeongdong. The lighting was warm, the decor homely and the prices just right for my budget. I tried a cafe coreano and was blown away by its flavor: neither too sweet nor too bitter: in fact, that foamy cup had just the right hints of both! Instantly, I had found my new favorite cup of coffee, in the world.

The next day, I brought my friends to the same shop where this time I ordered a combination waffle to accompany my delicious Coreano. By the time my friends and I had plowed through our food and drinks, we were not only stuffed, but surely satisfied. Beansbins provides the total Korean coffee shop experience, more so than Angel'N'us or the Coffee Bean, what with the Beansbins's ample, commodious seating area and its scrumptious victuals; and, of course, who can forget its affordable, best-in-the-world coffee.

Simply Life - Encounter #3

2010-01-03T21:24:00.010+08:00

Highlight of the day was brunch at Simply Life with Loose. I was ravenous by the time I got there so I was ready to consume in copious amounts. Loose had also reserved her stomach for the late brunch at 2pm.

After settling down, I ordered the English Big Breakfast as I was instantly drawn to the combination of scrambled eggs, bacon, baked beans, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes with toast. Loose ordered the Oxtail risotto, the healthier option. Shame on you, pooh.

The meal came with a pumpkin soup for starters. The soup was smooth and creamy and tasted of real pumpkin puree. It came with a chunk of farm bread which was soft and crusty for dipping. It was definitely a good start to the meal.

However, for my English Big Breakfast, did not follow suit. Here are the items on my plate:
2 slices of cheese bread. Very soft and pillowy. (which I slathered with butter)
A slab of scrambled eggs- RUBBERY. Colour was also a bit off. Even salt and pepper couldn't rescue it. I was very upset because I ordered the dish specially for the scrambled eggs, one of my favourite items when done well! Very upset.

Other items included: baked beans (which tasted like normal BBs),
bacon- burnt and tough,
sausages (normal),
grilled mushrooms (burnt, rubbery and lacking flavour) and
a slice of grilled tomato.

What an anticlimax to a great soup starter!

Loose had the Oxtail risotto which had ingredients such as spinach, tomatoes, onions and beef in it.

We couldn't leave without dessert. Afterall, baked goods was the cafe's specialty. To round off the meal, we had a half a cheesecake and a small square of walnut brownie. The cheesecake was smooth and soft but walnut brownie was a tad dry.

And finally the coffee.

The Bitter Endless?

2010-01-03T10:32:00.003+08:00

The Bitter End
located in San Francisco's Inner Richmond at 6th Ave and Clement St.
Steak and Mushroom Pie: 9.50 USD

There is one thing that is true about eating food in Amerca: HUGE PORTIONS! Most of the time I just wish that the portions were a little smaller and the cost a few dollars less, other times I just take half home in the "doggy bag" and occasionally, I am so ravenous that I can actually eat nearly everything on my plate. Thus was the case just the other day. After an evening of ice skating at the temporary rink set up at Embarcadero Center, Adam (the BF) and I had a hankering for pub fare. While ice skating, we talked about heading over to an English pub style place called The Pig and Whistle that is fairly close to where we live, check out their reviews on Yelp, but it was so packed to the brim without a free table in sight we didn't go. We were pretty bummed at that point, but we ended up finding a similar English style pub not too far down the road.

The place, called The Bitter End, had much fewer people in side, but wow did they have a ton of beers on draught as well as 2-3 ciders on draught at a time. I was pretty impressed and ended up ordering both a Strongbow cider and then a pear cider after that. Their menu was pretty vast with all the usual Enlgish style food. I ordered the steak and mushroom pie. It was hardly a pie at all, instead there was just a crusty biscuit placed directly on top of the stewy steak and mushrooms. On the side were a ton of steak fries and a side of fresh sauteed vegetables. It was pretty impressive and it was only 9.50 USD. The bar atmoshphere was also super nice, a clean place with a friendly staff. I am sure someday we will make it to Pig and Whistle, but Bitter End is much closer to us, the prices can't be beat for the endless amount of food and selections of beers, and the fact there were actually tables to sit at was a huge plus!

Adam approves on the price and the atmosphere!

Misocool (K11, TST)

2009-12-29T17:22:00.005+08:00

I had lunch today with Kitty at the new coolest place in Town: K11. It's supposedly marketed as the world's First Art Mall. Don't know if I believe this as a fact, but its a good catchline. I pass this place daily and I really dig the vibe.

We went to Misocool for lunch. The name is pretty weird but memorable. We also queued up at the Viet place next door but it happened that we got a seat at Misocool first.

Kitty was so excited about discovering this place that we took photos outside the mall. I haven't taken mall photos since high school. We took photo with the direction board and underneath the digital screen. I love the sky piazza here, so many opportunities for public events.

I ordered a Salmon and Mango Sushi. Kitty ordered the Fried Beef With Rice(炒牛肉飯). As I have an allergic reaction to capsicums (all types: red, green and yellow) I wasn't able to try her dish, but it was reported to be pretty tasty.

I also had a positive response from Kitty on the sushi. The salmon slice was fresh, I chose to deconstruct the roll eating the salmon first. The rest of the roll was refreshing. As usual, I had a mountain of wasabi and shed a few tears during the consumption process.

I probably have room for another roll, but seeing as 2pm had already ticked by we had to creep back into our offices.

Price:
52 - Salmon and Mango Sushi
49 - Fried Beef With Rice (炒牛肉飯)

Value: A little expensive for lunch (not a daily affair) - but probably worth it for the nice eating utensils and clean furniture

Martinson Traditional Coffee

2009-12-28T04:17:00.000+08:00

Making Coffee in America from David Woo on Vimeo.

Martinson Traditional Coffee
Free (USD$1.99 for large can from the supermarket)
Home (Livingston, New Jersey)

I had no car by which I could easily drive to Starbucks; and in the house I had no instant coffee -- only grounded coffee; so my mom suggested that I try out my younger brother's coffee-making device for a nice, hot, free cup of coffee!

Sbarro Pizza

2009-12-28T02:34:00.002+08:00

Sbarro Pizza
Cheese slice - USD$3.69
Supreme slice - $4.59
Sbarro (Livingston, New Jersey)

Sbarro makes the worst pizza in America. Their slices are lukewarm, and overpriced to boot. I took this photo while still in shock at having paid so much for so little. I will never eat Sbarro pizza again, and will continue to remonstrate myself over my price inelasticity at the moment I purchased the pizza -- I really should look at the prices on the menu rather than expect that pizza should come cheaply in New Jersey since it is, after all, a commodity here.

Osechi: giant bentos for the New Year

2009-12-28T00:00:00.003+08:00

In years past, New Year in Japan would mean closed stores, family get togethers and new year feasting on intricately prepared bentos, designed to last the days before and after the roll over.

By Karn G. Bulsuk

Osechi New Year Bento: Starting at 10,000 yen (100 USD) up to and beyond 100,000 yen (1000 USD)

Osechi, or Japanese New Year cuisine was designed to deal with the fact there used to be nothing on sale during the new year period. Japanese housewives would spend a week preparing foods which could be stored for a few days, and would pack them into bentos for the whole family to eat the days before and after the New Year. I made the small one in the picture above in a cooking class, and it took the entire day even with things already prepared prior to the session.

In modern Japanese, this tradition still exists but many families opt to buy osechi bentos instead of spending time and effort to make them. They normally start at around 10,000 yen (100 USD) and can reach for the sky, especially if the bento is made by renowned chefs or restaurants.

It’s still a nice time to spend with family, and like the turkey of Thanksgiving or the minced pies of Christmas lore, osechi is a heartwarming start to the New Year.

Ruby Tuesday

2009-12-26T22:07:00.008+08:00

Ruby Tuesday
New Town Plaza, Shatin

Are these kids really athletes or you kidding me?

Reported by Wynnie

We had dinner with a bunch of endurance athletes at Ruby Tuesday a few weeks back. It wasn't exceptionally expensive as I recall because the only reason why we chose Ruby was because Ibe was a VIP member and had a 50% discount.

They suck you in with this enticing deal. 50 sounds too good to be true, especially at a brand with such reputation for American appetites as well as American prices!

Well, for 12 people to enjoy a pain free meal, it was the only way to make everyone's wallets happy. We are athletes which means we supposedly have a high calorie quota so eating out can never completely satisfy the appetite. Of course, unless there are humongous portions and refills available. Now we're talking. Places like Fat Angelos - unlimited bread basket (just in case you don't walk out carrying your stomach)

The most important thing for a hungry athlete is not quality, but QUANTITY (and efficiency. I need food. FCK! I NEED FOOD NOW.)

Price also plays an important role in this respect. The balance isn't there when quantity is outweighed by quality and pricing. We want value. Good value means affordable abundance of edible food.

Okay: so here are a few samples of what the 12 people ate: I'm ashamed to say that I shared, I had to sacrifice part of my main course for the real part of my meal: the dessert. Thanks to the petites who only had a few bites of these plates, I was able to polish off 1.5 plates of brownie/chocolate lava cake with ice cream.

Guys, what happened to the mushrooms? How come I was only left with leaves by the time the dish reached me.

This was reported to be pretty good. Apparently one of the only things worth ordering from Ruby. Next time I'm going for this one! (had the salmon which is not pictured. That was good too.)

hmm.. a nice juicy steak to replace all those protein particles that you lost on your long run..

Was commented to be a little dry, the brownie, but its made of chocolate, and it has ice cream..

*Its made of chocolate, and it has ice cream.... x 2 - nothing can go wrong.

Simply Life

2009-12-26T18:54:00.014+08:00

Reported by Wynnie

Its been a while since I've posted and I think I'd better get this of my chest before the end of the year.

Simply life
(Tai Koo, City Plaza,太古太古城道18號太古城中心1樓142號)

I haven't been there for a while and it was back in October and November that I dined there so some memories escape me. But what hasn't escaped are the memories of the modern European decor, ambient lighting and the long glass display stretching from the entrance to the end of the cafe showcasing an array of cakes and freshly baked goods.

The display box was the main attraction of the shop. It was where patrons' hunger increased as they gawked at the strawberry shortcakes and almond croissants. Where neatly decorated lemons slices on cheesecakes were displayed on elevated dishes like crown jewels. It was not long before the enticing dainty cakes and crusty french baguttes drew me in.

Before we had set foot into the shop and tasted the products, we had already decided that we would be back to try everything in the shop. So this post, is not the final word on Simply Life. In fact its only the beginning with 2 encounters, and many more to come.

I remember the menu was all in English, unlike the other establishments around i.e. Pizza Hut, Ruby Tuesday, 2 floors above, so the target audience was assumed. It also had a slightly posh feel with the florid menu description.

The first time, we went for the Bananaoffee Pie, thinking that it would be more conservative to share as we had both already had lunch.

Here's a picture of the pie. And my gosh, it was humongous! Fully inflated in height and portion. As you can see from this section, about 45% consisted of cream, 40% of chocolate mousse, 5% of bananas, 3% Peanut butter and 2% of biscuit crust. Boy, was it decadent. Cake sharing can never be equal with disproportional appetites, so needless to say, I had the chance of savouring the final bites of the pie.

On our next visit, I wanted to try something savoury, so I opted for the Florentine eggs with spinach on brushetta (made with poached farm eggs). Loose already had lunch so she ordered a caesar salad. In the end, we shared as I hadn't expect two servings on my plate.

If you can see through the layers, the bruschetta was topped with melted cheese on a poached egg over a slab of spinach. It was actually quite hard to eat with a fork and knife because the bread was crusty and didn't cut well. I ended up with a messy plate trying to deconstruct the open sandwich.

The caesar salad was mediocre. A tad over coated, but I could definitely taste the roasted chicken through the dressing.

Another thing to come back for is the coffee. They make really nice brewed coffee here!! And they have sugar cubes!!!!! How many places in HK serve coffee with sugar cubes and not sugar packets? Worth it or not? You tell me.

The price:
92 for an afternoon set: soup or salad, main dish w normal drink (exchange drink for coffee +10)
80-85 for tea set: slice of any cake/pastry on display w coffee/tea

I will come back for the burger, coffee and the dainty cakes. I wouldn't mind another jab at the Bananaoffee pie if I'm feeling particularly sinful that day, only with the assistance of another gut.

They drink green tea like water

2009-12-20T23:49:00.002+08:00

In Japan, not only is green tea everywhere, it is also readily available for free if you know where to look for it.

By Karn G. Bulsuk

Green tea: Free

In Japan, you can buy green tea in every single form for an affordable price, which isn’t surprising since the country consumes the most green tea in the world.

There are many grades of green tea – stuff you buy in bottles for 100-150 yen (1.10-1.60 USD), packaged green tea leafs sold in supermarket or the finest green tea, which can only be bought in specialized stores and can fetch prices as high as the most discriminating wines.

This particular type of tea is always served complimentary in all restaurants and cafeterias.

The one pictured above in Osaka University dispenses Hōjicha (ほうじ茶), a light type of green tea. There are several machines dispensing a variety of green teas as well, giving you a surprising number of options. You can also choose from hot and cold tea, making the dispenser useful year round in a country which dips below freezing point during the winter, but can hit temperatures in excess of 30 degrees Celsius in the summer.

During the summer, cafeterias without automatic dispensers will normally use a large thermos dispenser which contains a massive volume of tea. They will switch tea types depending on the season. In the winter, they will normally serve hot Hōjicha or ban cha, cheap common teas. In the summer, they are known to serve mugi cha, which is a type of roasted barley tea and is considered to be a nice, cold refreshing drink drunk in the summer heat.

Thai Noodles in Tom Yum Goong Soup

2009-12-13T18:52:00.000+08:00

Making Tom Yum Goong Noodles from David Woo on Vimeo.
Thai Noodles in Tom Yum Goong Soup
Free (courtesy of the English department at Chiang Mai University)
Chiang Mai University, Thailand

After the GloCall 2009 conference, the English department of Chiang Mai university treated conference participants to some delicious Thai noodles; in this video, I order some Thai noodles in tom yum goong soup.

Chiang Mai is a great place to visit; and Chiang Mai university seems to be an excellent institution in which to work and to study.

Katsu Curry in Bangkok - authentic and tasty

2009-12-11T01:10:00.002+08:00

Authentic Katsu Curry can be found in the heart of Bangkok at a very reasonable price.

By Karn G. Bulsuk

Katsu curry: 130 baht ($3.92 USD)
Bottle of water: 10 baht ($0.30 USD)

Because of the number of Japanese expatriates living in Thailand, there are a wide range of Japanese restaurants and bars. Some catered to the Thais with the taste modified accordingly, while many still cook precisely to discriminating Japanese standards.

There is a Japanese curry store which I eat at regularly located in Central World, a large major department store. The taste of their curry is certainly Japanese while the toppings are also equally tasty and authentic.

Their signature dish is the katsu curry, or curry with rice with deep fried pork cutlet. In general, the flavor is alright, although I find the katsu too crispy for my taste. The best katsu I have had was in Kagoshima, where black pork was used. It was thickly sliced and fried so that the juices were sealed in, but the meat inside was still soft and firm. A bite into the cutlet starts out with a deliciously moist but crunchy exterior, bread crumbed and fried to perfection.

Nevertheless, it only costs 130 baht (3.92 dollars) while a bottle of water goes for 10 baht (0.30 USD). There are a range of other possible combinations, such as adding hamburger patties, cheese, toriage (bite-sized deep fried chicken pieces) and even natto, fermented Japanese soy-beans.

The price is reasonable and it provides an authentic Japanese experience in the middle of Bangkok.

Kantary: Not your average breakfast buffet

2009-12-01T08:00:00.003+08:00

Sometimes the best buffets are to be found not in the capital city, but up-country in a novel and comfortable hotel.

By Karn G. Bulsuk

Intercontinental Breakfast Buffet: 200 baht (6.00 US Dollars)

While I was out in Ayuthaya a few weeks ago, we stayed at a hotel/serviced apartment called Kantary. The rooms were excellent, large and clean, and I really looked forward to coming back home everyday to the fluffy bed, hot bath, LCD TV and deliciously cold air conditioning.

Despite a tiring and late night at work, I always looked forward to waking up in the morning for the biggest and most delicious breakfast buffet I had ever had.

When you think of a typical breakfast buffet, you would normally think of ham, bread and cereals with milk. If you’re lucky, there might even be an omelet counter where the cook will freshly cook some eggs with a dash of butter. Breakfasts are pretty much uninspired and unimaginative.

Not so at Kantary. The breakfasts here are almost like lunches, with dishes changing everyday. In the two weeks I was there, we saw everything from roast beef to grilled chicken, from Japanese oden to Japanese curry. If anything, it was more than a lunch rather than a breakfast.

It made my day. The food was excellent and a scrumptious feast first thing in the morning. The team would spend at least 30 minutes feasting to give us the energy to last the entire day.

Despite being an international buffet, the taste of each dish was authentic and well prepared. Because there were so Japanese people staying long-term at the hotel, the Japanese food was spot on and the taste was perfect. It is said that one can judge the skill of a Japanese chef by the taste of their tamagoyaki, as it is a dish which, although simple to make, is difficult to master. Their chef passed the test in my case. Even the miso soup, which often takes a beating to adapt to local tastes, was authentically Japanese.

The western food was also amazing, and the taste of roast beef in the morning took me back to the fabled Sunday dinners of lore. Their pancakes were perfectly made, being soft yet not overcooked, and a dash of maple syrup was certainly helpful. Even their selection of cereals were well thought out, as muesli was also offered along-side the more typical selections. In addition, real apple juice as well as freshly fried strip bacon added to the delight of the morning meal.

For guests, the breakfast added just 200 baht (6.00 US dollars) to the room rate. It was beyond worth-it, given the quality and excellent taste of food which would have given even more expensive hotels and restaurants in Bangkok a run for the money - decent buffets in the city start at at least 500 baht (15 US dollars) and run up to the thousands (30 USD and up).

A fresh selection of breads and cakes.

The pastries are baked fresh every morning, and are kept hot and crispy.

The salads even included vegetables which are difficult to obtain in Bangkok

Sausages that would even have passed German standards

Obviously the Thai food excelled

Ham and Macaroni Breakfast Set

2009-11-24T10:57:00.002+08:00

Ham and Macaroni Breakfast Set (includes buttered bread; two fried eggs; and ying yeung)
$19
Cha Chaan Tang (Shek Kip Mei)

The restaurant at which I had this meal is right next to the laundromat where I usually get my clothes washed so sometimes I drop by for breakfast after either dropping off my clothes or picking them up. Furthermore, these days I have a greater incentive to eat at this place since the girl that I'm seeing likes macaroni for breakfast; consequently, I can scout and review this "comfort" food before suggesting that we together try the cha chaan tang out!

There is a alot of value in this food insofar as the bread is lathered in butter and the bowl is filled with macaroni and processed meat. I would gladly pay $19 for this.

Food is Food: The Factory Gourmet

2009-11-20T21:37:00.000+08:00

Any dish with as much rice as you want: 20 baht (0.60 USD)
Bottle of soft-drink: 9 baht (0.27 USD)

A lot of my work involves traveling to clients, and we’re often out of the office or even in a different province altogether. The past two weeks I’ve been out in Ayudhya, the old capital of Thailand. In addition to its history, there are several massive Industrial Parks, in which industry is encouraged to congregate in exchange for tax breaks and other benefits.

The past two weeks here have been gastronomically dull, as the cafeteria attached to the client’s factory was only one store. The price of food there was very low though, costing only 20 baht (0.60 USD) for side dishes with as much rice as you like. It is common in factories in Thailand to provide their workers with as much rice as they’d like for lunch as a form of benefit.

I would normally order fried rice or stir-fried noodles, all for 20 baht. Although they had a daily set of two side dishes to choose from, they were often spicy and so I didn’t want to risk it. In addition, the level of hygiene within the cafeteria itself was questionable, and I figured a freshly cooked meal was better than food they had prepared before in the day.

In addition to the food itself, drinks such as a bottle of Coke or Sprite would set you back another 9 baht (0.27 USD). Although it’s extremely cheap, the wages of the average factory worker would only average 8,000 baht (241 USD) a month, and once food, transport and accommodation is factored in, very little is left.

Despite being that cheap, the taste was nothing to die for. The oil they used was reused from their frying earlier on in the day, and they would use the darkened oil unless you asked them to use something newer. Flies flew around and vegetables were simply rinsed rather than washed, while meat was left outside in a Tupperware box. The important thing was that when it was cheap, when it was the only store on the factory and when you were hungry, food was food, no matter how bland it tasted. Nevertheless, I'm certainly looking forward to heading back to Bangkok for some really good food.

Lunchtime Adventure: Curry Up Now Curry Truck

2009-11-19T05:24:00.005+08:00

Channa samosa: 4 USD
Veggie and paneer biryani: 4 USD
total: 8 USD

I am really impressed by a curry truck that drives up to the Oracle parking lot and sells a variety of delicious, authentic Indian items at a fairly low price. Called Curry Up Now, the truck parks at Oracle a few times a week and also hits up other locations around the silicon valley.

In Hong Kong there are plenty of food stalls with delicious foods, and we have things like it in the US too, with Curry Up Now being an example. Often times they get deemed "roach coaches" because it is basically a restaurant on wheels that, most likely, barely passes health code standards. To be honest, I thought that Curry Up Now was pretty clean, and the smell emanating from the truck was tantalizing. For that it gets an A+.

I tried to order Channa Bhatura, or what they call "Doubles" but they didn't actually have it despite the item written on the chalk board menu. I thought that was a little frustrating and my co-workers became slightly worried since I was the first to order. They wondered if the truck workers would also tell them they didn't have the items they wanted. It turned out fine though, everyone was able to get what they wanted just fine. Instead of Doubles, I got channa with samosa and a side of biryani all for 8 bucks! I will be hitting this up again for sure. Sorry for the half eaten pic!

I went with some work friends and they really enjoyed their items too. For example, my co-worker asked for his chicken-tikka masala burrito as extra spicy. He said it was perfect, as spicy as he cooks food at home. His burrito was only 6 USD!

Crispy Diced Toast with Ice Cream

2009-11-01T22:11:00.002+08:00

Crispy Diced Toast with Ice Cream
Price: ?
Calories: ???
Pokka Cafe (Causeway Bay)

Speaking of Pokka, Wynnie and I had dinner a few weeks ago at its Causeway Bay cafe, where we ate; and then I, going glutton, tried to finish this crispy diced toast with ice cream for dessert. I failed. Although I managed to squeeze through the ice cream -- simple enough, after all, when it melts into liquid form -- the mountain of cubed toast proved too redoubtable, and ponderous for my stomach, even, to handle. Alas, I left some of those sweet, sticky chunks of bread on the table.

Korean Pork Rice

2009-11-01T22:02:00.001+08:00

Korean Pork Rice
$56 ($48 + $3 hot drink upgrade + 10% service charge)
Baltic Limited (Prince Edward)

I vaguely recall seeing crowds lining up to eat at this Japanese curry shop; but when I showed up that evening, only one other table was occupied, nary a crowd to be found.

If there had been a throng of hungry customers eager to try the curry, I think these ravenous customers, each and every one of them, would have been delighted and satisfied with what the shop has to offer. I certainly was pleased with my Korean Pork Rice, the meat of which consisted, in fact, more of meat than of gristle -- thankfully; and what's more, the pork tasted quite sweet, the result, I suppose, of a daring, saucy mix of sesame and kimchee spice in which the victuals were cooked. I cleaned off my bowls, plate and cup, and had my fill.

Then the bill came. The restaurant had successfully milked an extra eight dollars from my wallet, my check accounting for not only the three dollar hot drink tax but also the nebulous, always-mysterious ten percent service charge, a fee made all the more baffling because this near-empty, pseudo-local establishment, deep in the heart of Kowloon, didn't at first blush strike me as an establishment that would charge such a fee, let alone do so without any forewarning.

This Baltic company, replete with its cartoon pirates and boardroom bandits, can keep their presumption, and I will take my business elsewhere next time.

Pokka Black Coffee

2009-11-01T21:43:00.003+08:00

Biz Time Cafe Black
$12
Chinese snack shop (Mong Kok East MTR Station)

Wow, not only is Pokka, famous in Hong Kong for its Japanese-style cafes, actually a Japanese company, it bottles black coffee just like all the other big drink manufacturers in Japan (e.g. UCC; and Kirin). Inside the fridge of that (Chinese-name only; and no, it isn't Aji-Ichiban) snack shop inside the paid area of the Mong Kok East MTR station, I found this bottle of caffeinated treasure. What's more, at the shop, beside its bigger, blacker, more beautiful brother, there is another brand Pokka coffee, in a smaller, less-value sized container, available for purchase at the same $12 price point.

Da Dolce Gelato

2009-11-01T21:17:00.004+08:00

Crunkies-flavor Gelato
$28 (single-flavor cup)
Da Dolce (Langham Place)

I had never seen many customers frequent that gelato shop in the basement of Langham place, whose decor was straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. In all of my visits, I had counted at most four or five patrons in the shop at the same time as I was stopping by.

Small wonder I went Oh-Jeui this evening at the sight of so many Honky people sitting comfortably at the gleaming white picnic benches, which had been split apart into smaller seating areas for this event. I looked around. The signs were different. There were many pictures of Ramen, interspersed with much Japanese print that I found unintelligible. The only thing I gleaned from the posters was the fact, the new reality that half of the gelato shop had without warning become a Ramen joint called Domon. This change is for the best, I believe, because now this merchant has the vehicle -- hot food -- necessary to drive traffic.

I'm sitting by myself in the austere, lonely corner of the shop devoted exclusively to the consumption of gelato, having just finished a crunkies-flavored cup of the stuff. I was thinking earlier, while looking at the exorbitant $28 sticker price for a single-flavor cup, how gelato is a relative substitute for "premium" coffees and "artisan" teas in Hong Kong. At the $28 price point, consumers can choose either from a single-flavor cup from a vendor such as Da Dolce or XTC on Ice, or a tall coffee drink from either Starbucks or Pacific Coffee. To be sure, $28 is the entrance fee in Hong Kong to occupy a small corner of this pseudo-public space, in order to do what I'm doing now: ruminating on food!

Pineapple Bun at Red A Bakery

2009-10-13T03:44:00.005+08:00

Pineapple Buns at Red A Bakery: 3 for 1.45 USD!

I am really impressed with the price and quality of the pineapple buns at Red A Bakery located in the Inner Richmond of San Francisco. They are not only very large, but also buttery, soft, slightly sweet and the topping has that slight crunch a real pineapple bun needs. I haven't had the likes of a pineapple bun for ages, but this bakery/Hawaiian style b-b-q joint hits the spot with not only amazing baked goods that remind me of Hong Kong, but also fresh musubi, pork katsu, and b-b-q plates for very cheap. Red A Bakery's Yelp listing is here. Pineapple buns are certainly a once in a while treat, because according to Wikipedia, they are made with lard. YIKES!

Fragrant Milk Green Tea

2009-10-11T11:20:00.005+08:00

Fragrant milk green tea
$12 (includes an extra $2 for bucketful of black bubbles)
Gong Cha (Prince Edward)

Gong Cha opened a few weeks ago and it, like other bubble tea stands in the area, draws huge crowds, no matter the time of day. I dropped by this morning to treat myself to a post-race bubble green tea.

The Good:

A sign of good customer service, the cashier smiled at me while she was idling; it always good to see happy employees. Furthermore, I was able to take photos of the store without anyone yelling at me.
The lid is snazzy. Never before have I seen such a vibrant, ornately branded bubble tea plastic covering!
The tea was good; and indeed, drinkers have the option to order it with less ice and less sugar.

The Bad:

I had to pay an extra two dollars for bubbles; and I ask myself, why do I have to do that when all the other stands throw those in at the $10 price point?
No chop card

Overall, I can see what the fuss is all about: a brand new shop with excellent branding-cum-aesthetic appeal; good customer service; and undoubtedly fine drinks!

QQ Rice Roll

2009-10-10T15:47:00.002+08:00

Rice Roll
$21 for XXL (originally $22)
QQ Rice (Prince Edward MTR Station)

I sometimes drop by the QQ Rice stand after late-evening workouts because prices are reduced after 21:30 -- save a dollar on rice rolls! I usually like ordering an XXL roll filled with vegetarian ingredients: kimchee; spicy beancurd; seaweed; caraway; seaweed sprouts; and emperor vegetable.

Kimchi

2009-09-26T17:50:00.000+08:00

Kimchee
$21.90 (originally $24.90)
Taste (Kowloon Tong)

This brand of kimchee is not sweet but tangy, which when it comes to kimchee is a taste of which I am not too fond; to be sure, bristling on my tongue as though soda pop, the kimchee tastes almost carbonated. The brand advertises itself as full of lactobacillus, so maybe that has something to do with the kimchee's unique feel inside my mouth. The kimchee, furthermore, rightfully warns consumers that it is mildly spicy -- it packed a kick that the kimchee which I bought at the food fair lacked.

Bottled Water

2009-09-19T14:44:00.000+08:00

Bonaqua $5.2

Cool $5.2

Vita $4.8

Circle K (Across from Wanchai fire station)

View Hong Kong Price Discrimination in a larger map

Bonaqua $6.2

Cool $6.8

Circle K (Times Square UA Cinema)

I had always suspected that Circle K actively promulgated price discrimination at its stores and at last, I have definitive proof that it does.

This afternoon I stopped by the Circle K stand across from the Times Square UA cinema, the one that boasts twin refrigerators which stock an assortment of lukewarm beverages ripe for a muggy Hong Kong day.  One look at the pricing, however, and I quickly walked away, my tongue hanging out not in thirst but in disgust, for who would willingly pay $6.8 for a Cool, or $6.2 for Bonaqua when the going price for both is around five dollars?

Seeking a better deal, along the underpass I walked about one hundred meters, until I reached another Circle K, farther away from the maddening crowds and consequently, I suspected, less prone than its higher traffic cousin to ridiculous price points.  Indeed, I found both the Bonaqua and Cool priced at $5.2, savings of 1 dollar and $1.6 respectively in comparison to their Times Square prices.  In fact, this branch even stocked Vita, a choice which the Times Square branch didn't even offer, priced at $4.8, the least expensive of the three brands.  I chose the Vita, and felt somewhat smug in doing so.

For me, and for the impecunious at large, walking a hundred meters away from the throngs to find a colder, cheaper drink is well worth the effort -- support low prices; don't give into extortion!

The Price of Food at Work in Silicon Valley

2009-09-13T01:27:00.003+08:00

Subsidized food is pretty popular here in the valley of computer chips. The goal is to provide somewhat cheaper food to employees as a perk of working at the business. It is not as reasonable as the cheap and tasty food I used to eat at the CityU canteen when I was an exchange student, but it is a similar idea in that the food is right there and it is low price. Google boasts free food all day for their employees. The up and coming Zynga (the start-up that brings you Mafia Wars and Farmville on Facebook) advertises on their job board free lunch and dinners. The Oracle 600 cafe has nine reviews on Yelp right now. Because the food is subsidized by the company, these types of corporate cafeterias (or canteens as HKers say) have delicious food for a very low price. I will have to follow up on Oracle food, but I am pretty sure an adventure over to their canteen is in the near future. That is because Oracle is only a 15 minute walk from the building where I work at EA (Electronic Arts). EA also has subsidized food but unfortunately it isn't free like at Google or Zynga but it is fairly low priced. I thought I would share a couple of the offerings I have had lately. Our cafe is really delicious, with about six or so entrees to choose from daily with an additional salad and soup bar, a sandwich bar and a pizza bar.

Here we have a lasagna set with a side salad and a side of grilled squash. (I hope Chef Javier doesn't mind me posting on his food creations). Note that the drink I have there did not come with the meal, so it wasn't a true "set meal" in the HK style sense. The lasagna was called "free form" lasagna where the chef would layer a noodle with Riccota cheese and your choice of sauce: fancy mushroom red sauce or a fancy meat based red sauce. The majority of the ingredients at the EA cafe are organic. This entree came to around 7.25 USD. The sodas on campus always cost 25 cents so we could say this meal was roughly 60HKD. For an almost entirely organic meal (ok I know the Diet Dr. P totally kills it) I would say you can't go wrong with that price. The lasagna was delicious and it was quite a reward after sitting in the San Mateo DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) for three hours waiting to get my California driver's license and plates for my car.

We also have soups and chili on a daily basis. Pictured here is tortilla soup and a side salad. I think this cost about 7.50 USD. I think that is a little too high for just soup and salad. A large bowl of soup or chili is 2.25 USD, so clearly it isn't the soup that is pricey. The salad bar is probably the most expensive thing you can eat at EA because it is priced by weight. My salad always ends up being pretty heavy because I pile on the organic beets and a little pasta salad. The salad container here is a small one but I have to exercise a lot of self-control to get it under 5 USD.

I think this post definitely deserves a follow up with my first trip over to the Oracle cafe. To be honest, I am not sure if it is open to the public, but I won't hesitate to post here considering there are reviews on Yelp already and my EA friends venture over every now and then. If you read the Yelp reviews, they even inform you on how to keep from "standing out". I think the Oracle employees probably dress like an average executive, and since I work at a game company, I never have to dress up, so I guess I will have to plan ahead so that I can sneak away some relatively cheap, delicious, corporate food. And besides, what the heck does Oracle do anyway?

UCC Coffee

2009-08-29T13:38:00.002+08:00

UCC coffee
$6.80
Great! (Admiralty)

$9
Cafe Balencia (Mong Kok East KCR station)

Further to my previous post on shopping around for canned coffee, while I was enthralled by the pricing of Nescafe at Great! I nevertheless failed not to notice the UCC coffee selection close by, marked prominently by fluttering orange signs. In fact, the price for the original milk coffee was about as low as it could possibly go, almost reaching the bottom, 3 for $20 steal at the HK Food Expo! Compare this with the $9 that Cafe Balencia charges and indeed, if you are a fan of UCC products, there is no excuse to not rush over to Great! to stock up and save!

Nescafe Coffee

2009-08-29T13:36:00.002+08:00

Nescafe regular
$5.30 (originally $6.50)
Mannings (Mong Kok East KCR station)

$5.3 (creme white)

$5.5 (Nescafe regular)
Great! (Admiralty)

$6 (Nescafe regular)
CityU canteen

$7 (Nescafe regular)
Arome Bakery (Kowloon Tong KCR station)

Nescafe prices in Hong Kong fluctuate greatly as though listed on the Hang Seng Index. The winning vendors in this price war so far are Mannings, which has literally pushed this product to the front of the store where it is conspicuously displayed in a refrigerator, and surprisingly, Great! whose premium image belies its very humble pricing for this product. It only goes to show how important it is, particularly for those habitual consumers of coffee, to shop around!

Yogurttime in America

2009-08-20T01:42:00.004+08:00

For those of you who do not know, my name is Jason and I have known Dave since kindergarten. Anyway, after reading Dave's yogurt entry I shared some thoughts about the Asian inspired yogurt craze in America and Dave wanted me to guest blog.

Basically I have been a frozen yogurt fan ever since I was a young and frozen yogurt in America consisted of sandy and chemical tasting yogurt such as TCBY and the original Columbo's recipes. Back then frozen yogurt makers attempted for yogurt to resemble its higher calorie cousin, ice cream. Usually they failed at that quest. Supposedly when I was even younger, frozen yogurt resembled regular yogurt in America (i.e. it was tart), just colder. However, it was not as smooth as the yogurt of today. I do not remember this. By about the late 1990s, American frozen yogurt makers improved the quality of frozen yogurt, but in doing so added a great deal of sugar and/or fake sugars to create flavors that did not resemble yogurt at all (or even conventional ice cream at times).

All the sudden in the last couple years Asian inspired tart-tasting frozen yogurt has become a huge fad in America. In the beginning, Pinkberry was only available in Los Angeles, CA. Los Angelenos would crash their cars to get a parking spot near Pinkberry. Then with great fanfare Pinkberry arrived in New York City. After that many supposed copycats opened up. One of those supposed copy cats, Red Mango, is supposedly one of the most popular brands in Asia which the founder of Pinkberry (a Korean-American) copied. Another popular New York City brand, Yolato, promises yogurt-flavored gelato (a combination of Italian Ice Cream and Asian-style yogurt). Over the last year tart yogurt has become so popular that you do not need to go to New York City or Los Angeles to find it. In the winter, I found a great place called Ellie's Yoberri Park, in of all places Santa Fe, New Mexico which sold tart Asian-style yogurt. Ellie's even offered to sweeten the yogurt with agave, a popular Native American sweetener.

Still even before this tart craze, Bloomingdales had quietly been offering great tart yogurt for years. For those of you who do not know Bloomingdales is a department store known for its high end clothes and not its yogurt. Still its 40 carrots cafe (found in New York City as well as many suburban malls) offers some of the best yogurt available anywhere. Few people will go to an upscale store just for frozen yogurt, but it is worth it, even though it is $4.50 for a small.

The funny thing about Pinkberry is that it contains so few yogurt cultures (the bacteria which makes it yogurt) that Pinkberry is legally unable to even call itself yogurt in America. Instead it must call itself a "frozen dessert."

For more go to

http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/la-et-pinkberryaug04,0,7985455.story

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local&id=5294057

Jason

Pearl Milk Green Tea

2009-08-20T01:23:00.004+08:00

Pearl milk green tea
$10
Taiwan Drink House (Prince Edward)

The last thing to do this evening is to recount how customer service at the Taiwan Drink House - the vendor that had already won me over with its delectable $9HKD snow white milk tea - burnished its reputation all the more in my heart; for as I had egregiously blundered, so a staff member at the house naturally saw an opening to make a difference, that positive differentiation being a champion in the hyper-competitive market for pearl milk tea in Prince Edward.

Admittedly, I don't puncture vacuum-sealed lids well. So true to form, on my first attempt to use the pointed end of my neon pink straw to create an aperture, I only met failure - the tip of the straw crumpled against the rock-hard surface of the lid. A few more futile jabs later, I decided to switch tactics, and flipped the straw around, employing the circular end of the straw for some battering ram action. It had to work, I thought to myself.

Indeed, it did - too well, in fact. The straw punched through the taut plastic covering so well, and with such vigor that it blasted straight through the side of the cup! Milk tea began bursting forth from the cup as though from a broken dam, quickly covering and flooding the counter. I had an O Jeui2 (:-O) moment.

Thankfully, that mild-mannered cashier who had taken my order called out to his colleagues, ordering them to clean the mess with much rapidity. He also chipped in with his wet rag, sopping up the creamy mess which had begun to drip onto the floor. Furthermore, and this is what really surprised me, he told me that they would make another one for me, and to prove it, he shouted to the staff in the back to fix up another pearl milk green tea. This benevolent act verily impressed me, this calculated, charitable customer service, especially in the wake of my unbelievable ordeal at the R:FM2 store this week (details on that forthcoming). The Taiwan Drink House, I conclude boldly, not only offers great tea at the right price, it also employs people who care about and have the audacity to create an excellent customer experience!

Mushroom and Chicken Congee

2009-08-19T14:34:00.000+08:00

Mushroom and chicken congee (with peanuts and extra spring onions)
$7.5
City University of Hong Kong canteen

Although the canteen vendor has changed recently, an upstart having usurped Maxim's place in the kitchen, the congee still remains the same. The physical consistency of the congee, to begin with, is itself rather diluted than thick - there indeed seems to be more water than rice boiled in the mixture; and the value of the product is not in that boiled rice, of course, but in the bits of chicken meat and mushroom, dashed with plenty of peanuts and spring onions, that can all be had for less than one US dollar. Consequently, though I would gladly prefer to pay the same price for some plain congee at another restaurant that I frequent and whose porridge is as thick as a creamy soup, to the extent that a person enjoys the generous portion of toppings included in the canteen congee, the meal can be considered a success.

Yogurtime

2009-08-17T10:45:00.000+08:00

Yogurt (Eurotart flavor)

$28 - medium; 1 topping
$35 - large; 2 toppings
Yogurtime (Soho)

Anne and I had just finished our delicious dessert at Berrygood when I suggested that we try out Berrygood's new competitor - that night on full stomachs, even. She ungrudgingly agreed, so with her blessing we set out to find the place first, since neither of us knew where to find this mythical competitor. Thankfully, one clever kebab tout later - I suppose foodie news spreads as quickly as the evening revelry in Soho - we had arrived at our destination on Elgin Street.

The interior was capacious - too capacious, Anne remarked. We settled down on the flimsy plastic chairs to the side, and I went ahead to the counter. The menu was meager, to say the least, made all the more so with the egregious use of four illuminated panels above the counter, only two of which displayed menu items, in gigantic letters. I took my strawberry-covered yogurt back to the seating area where Anne and I subsequently resumed our marveling at the austere layout. At the time, we could no more understand it than commercial suicide: there was so much unused capacity in such a prime location that, we wondered, it would be impossible to generate the revenue necessary to pay the high rents. Soon enough, however, seemingly regular customers began flooding into the restaurant and occupying that barren wooden floor as though for a dance with a heaping of yogurt in one hand. Maybe the business can be sustained, on second thought.

Personally, I preferred the distinct tartness of the Berrygood yogurt to the insipid flavor of the Yogurtime Eurotart, not least for the freshness that Berrygood product insinuates, that sour yogurt is more natural than sweet yogurt, indeed. Nonetheless, despite the unctuous flavoring of the yogurtime product, I can appreciate why people could become regular customers, especially if they are nearby and need a quick fix everyday: saving five dollars on a large yogurt is no small feat, and I believe that neither the wallet nor the waistline shall be the worse for it!

Taiwan Drink House

2009-08-17T09:59:00.000+08:00

White Snow Pearl Milk Tea
$9 (special price)
Taiwan Drink House (Prince Edward)

The third combatant in the Prince Edward Milk Tea Wars presented a formidable product, fitted with an aggressive price point and shielded by excellent customer service. First of all, despite being deluged by orders, which seems to be the case at all these tea stands, the cashier asked me if I would not only prefer less syrup but also less ice - a new development in my milk tea- drinking experience to which I readily voiced my agreement. Furthermore, undercutting all competitors in the area by at least $1, the Taiwan Drink House's bargain basement price of $9 for the snow white milk tea, still served in the standard 700cc container, guaranteed value for my money. The accoutrement for the product was ideal, to be sure, and all that was left to determine in this contest was whether or not the taste would actually deliver the decisive blow to its competitors.

The outcome, a few sips later, had been determined. The flavor of the milk tea was milder than the rest, and nowhere close to overwhelming. The confluence of diminutive bits of ice and a generous heaping of white pearls, moreover, gave my molars quite a workout, dividing its attention between the tasks of crunching and chewing. It was the pearls themselves which at last I found the most gratifying, so delectably sweet were they that they could power the drink, I believe, without the accompaniment of any syrup at all. I had a winner in my hands, an ingratiating drink that did all it could - successfully - to please.

Lavazza Coffee by Burger King

2009-08-13T17:57:00.003+08:00

Lavazza Coffee
$19 (regular price)
$9.5 (price if purchased with another drink)
Burger King (Tsim Sha Tsui)

Patrick and I had lunch at Burger King, which was heavily promoting its Lavazza coffee, a brand which, while prevalent in South Korea, has yet to truly penetrate the HK market. I took the plunge, paid half-price for a cup, and at last consumed a savory cup of joe. I thought it was good, and is definitely worth $9.5HKD - though I would be wary of paying its full price of $19.

More Bubble Tea

2009-08-13T17:38:00.003+08:00

Venti-class plastic cup

Menu-cum-chop card

Bubble tea
$12
Little Egg (Prince Edward)

I tried another bubble tea place in Prince Edward last night, this one being right behind exit B2, next to the Ireland Potato. A venti-class pearl milk tea costs two dollars more at this vendor, but I think the price increase is warranted as I found, compared to the $10 Tea place, less ice and more precious, ebony pearls in my drink. Besides, I could actually consume those big, globular pearls through my straw this time, whereas in my previous experience at that other stand, the pearls were left to rot at the bottom of my cup because there was too much ice, and I was given such a narrow straw. I'll see if there is any additional improvement in my drinking experience at the next stop on my bubble tea tour.

Red Bull Is Back

2009-08-13T17:16:00.002+08:00

Red Bull
1 for 12.4
4 for 45
Wellcome (Shek Kip Mei)

Much to my delight, I saw a heady stock of Red Bull sitting in voluminous splendor on the shelf of my local Wellcome this evening. It was, I admit, a seductive pose struck by those gorgeous metallic cans, made even more so by the price, which had never been this low in the pre-cocaine scare days.

Welcome back, Red Bull! May I drink you for your most vivacious properties all the more while you remain at this enticing price point.

Hong Kong Food Expo 2009

2009-08-13T17:11:00.000+08:00

My Pricing Notes
Aisle 1 - Colavita Spaghetti 1/$16; 4/$55

Aisle 2 - A) Deblenz instant coffee (8 sachets) 2/$42
B) Delverde pasta 1/$16; 2/$30; 3/$40

Aisle 3 - A) prince of peace American Wisconsin ginseng root tea with honey 2/$100
B) sunsweet pitted prunes (500g) 2/60

Aisle 4 - A) Kruger cappucino (10 sachets) 2@50
B) Mat Kimchi (1.2 kg) 1@65

Aisle 5 - A) G7 coffee (12 sachets) 2@50
B) UCC coffee (10 sachets) 2@38 3@20 (cans)

Aisle 7 - Super 3in1 coffee mix 3@40

Review
The Hong Kong food expo is a paradise for the palette, and certainly the place for succor if one is hungry. Free food flowed like a buffet; such a prodigious selection of snacks, drinks and sweet meats abound that one could spend the entire day gorging on those delectable victuals, at no charge actually, save for the $25 entrance fee. It's definitely not bad for the gourmand, whether impecunious or not, because the variety was there, and the pricing points, I believe, were quite competitive, as my notes attest. My aim being to buy for quality and quantity, I at length settled on purchasing the kimchi, the prunes and the UCC coffee.

I must confess, however, that negotiating the narrow lanes, clogged with desultory, ambling locals, was terrible to say the least. This, like so many other shopping "events" which combine conspicuous consumption with the local Chinese culture, was a rubber-necking hell. So many bodies crashing into each other as though human waves breaking upon an unforgiving shore, it was a test of both my tenacity and patience. To be sure, grunts, glares and "ai-ya's" whizzed around my head like bullets - it's best, I think, not to catch one!

Ah, the industrious Hong Kong people, they set up a red minibus stop right at the exit of the convention center, on the corner of the street, brazenly in front of all the taxis and buses queueing in traffic. The driver of the lead mini bus acted as the tout, standing outside his vehicle and screaming for people to hop into his ride - for $15hkd from Wanchai to Mongkok, I too would be entreating passers by to get in, to savor the convenience and most importantly, to pay up! He then eyed me and I willingly acquiesced to his unspoken command. It was time at last to end a successful trip to the food expo!

Bubble Tea

2009-08-08T15:53:00.000+08:00

This is about the size of a venti at Starbucks.

Fastidious management and tracking of orders

A menu-cum-frequent user card

Bubble tea

$10
Tea (Prince Edward)

I finally had a chance to stop by the tea stand that stands between my home and the Prince Edward MTR station. On any given day, a crowd anxiously huddles in front of it, desperate for their tea fix, and at last, I got a chance to share their sentiment.

The serving size is enormous; the price is ridiculously competitive; and the service is swift, though not necessarily friendly. I was pleased with my experience and will return. To be sure, there is a lot of value in a $10, venti-sized serving of bubble tea - nevertheless, I'm afraid if I consume more frequently, I'll be ambling down the slow road to type-two diabetes, regardless of how little sugar they add!

Around the Pioneer Center in Prince Edward, there are several bubble tea competitors. I'll check them out in due course and report my findings.

Broccoli

2009-08-03T16:46:00.000+08:00

You can see in the background my iPod being used as an expensive egg timer.

Up close and out of focus with the little, dead caterpillar

Broccoli
3 for $7.90
Wellcome (Shek Kip Mei)

You cannot find broccoli at a lower price in Hong Kong, I believe. Anyway, that's beside the point.

The pictures not-so-clearly reveal the surprise guest in this post: one small, dead, caterpillar that found a comfortable grave inside the head of one the three broccoli that I had purchased earlier in the evening. In all my years of preparing vegetables, and broccoli in particular, I had never before come across one of these buggers that had hitched a ride onto a vegetable and, potentially, onto my dinner plate - after all, what then is the purpose of pesticide? I'm glad I wash my vegetables.

In Hong Kong, I do remember almost consuming baahk choi before noticing a small, dead fly trapped in its wet leaves. I highly doubt that the restaurant uses organic vegetables, so I wonder from which supplier that restaurant sources its produce!

The Price of Food in San Francisco: An Introduction

2009-08-03T12:24:00.000+08:00

As this blog starts to span more cities, countries and continents, I figure it is only fair to start my first post as an introduction to the price of Hong Kong food in San Francisco. I am no San Francisco native having only lived here for two months, but I do know that international cuisines are accessible and somewhat affordable. The average San Franciscan palate is eclectic, adventurous and quite often very picky for high standards of freshness and authenticity. I am no judge, I have no law degree, however I did live in Hong Kong once so I am on a mission to seek out some tasty HK style treats.

I came home last week after a very long day at work and decided to call in for an order of HK style Chinese take out from a joint near my home called Golden River. I chose the ever so unadventurous meal of chicken wing, kai lan, and plain white fahn. I love Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, and I hadn't had at a restaurant for a while. At home, I can barely achieve the perfect crispiness to tenderness ratio that Chinese restaurants maintain. This kai lan was stellar, and I ate almost all of it in one go.

The chicken wings on the other hand were about a 7 out of 10. I somehow missed that they were going to be fried. I really prefer mine as steamed or broiled or however Chinese restaurants magically cook chicken wings in soy sauce. The catch is that I thought I had ordered the 6 piece chicken wing, detailed in the shot of the menu, however I got many more than 6. I think the photo looks like there are 9, ok hey sure 9 is 6 upside down! Perhaps I received extra because when I placed my take out order over the phone, I asked for "kai lan" and "gai ying" and the man on the phone wanted to reward me for my extra effort for trying to order food in Cantonese. Just kidding. The time of night was late, they probably just wanted to get rid of whatever food they had and call it a night.

I thought the overall price of the meal was too high. Rice + chicken + kai lan for 16 USD is way too much (~125 HKD). The order did last me for two meals and an additional light snack, so perhaps if I look at it that way, it was worth it.

I will, however, definitely go back to Golden River. They have a good selection of food that I recognize as the typical fair I ate back in HK. I miss it there, and a lot of the heartache stems from a lack of a consistent supply of cheap shui gao, wan ton min, and ngau lam.

In the meantime I will continue to seek out HK style food and lots of other cuisines in SF and report on its price.

Ajisen Ramen

2009-07-27T18:02:00.000+08:00

Tenderous Ribs Fried Rice Set

$30

Ajisen Ramen (Festival Walk)

At one of the academic conferences which I attended this spring, I received a requisite goodie bag, inside of which I found a coupon booklet provided by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Generally, I am none the worse for not using coupons, my residence after all being Hong Kong - a place where neither taxes nor trade restrictions apply, and consequently all goods and services can be bought at a relative discount. Nonetheless, I flipped through the booklet and discovered a few eye-catching deals.

My hunger yesterday afternoon left me small opportunity for anything other than a meal; and as a result, the fortuitous moment was upon me. So I picked up the handy coupon booklet, and began rifling through its pages. Selecting a 10% discount coupon at Ajisen Ramen and reading the fine print on the back to ensure its acceptance at the Festival Walk outlet, I then walked out the door and wended my way up the escalators to the food court. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

The phlegmatic lady at the counter, however, wouldn't take my coupon when I tried to purchase a set meal. I had to either purchase food a la carte, or try my luck at another outlet, she said impassively. Though hiding behind a specious smile, I was a bit beside myself, because to be sure I thought this coupon would work its magic! I subsequently stepped away from the counter and positioned myself about ten feet away, my eyes still gazing on the facade before me, at which point I took out my mobile phone and called the number listed on the back of that vexing piece of paper.

The man on the other end of the line, whose ardent temperament outshone mine, quickly began troubleshooting my situation. He launched a volley of questions, and when all was answered and done, he tactfully told me that I had misread the coupon: it was valid only for use in the airport, and nowhere else! I turned over the coupon, I read the fine print more fastidiously than I had earlier in the day; and this man's elucidation hit me like a ton of bricks. That I need to read my coupons more carefully is the moral of this story.

More embarrassed than intrepid - had I used the coupon to order an item, I would have ripped off the store - I returned to the counter and ended up ordering the set meal, paying the full price. The fried rice was delicious.

토스트 (Toast)

2009-07-16T00:51:00.000+08:00

The cart operator browns the bread before slapping an egg in between two slices, topping it with brown sugar (mustard, too, is an option) and spreading some buttery substance on it. She wraps the toast neatly in foil before putting it, along with a napkin, into a black plastic bag. Toast is breakfast on-the-go for a little over $1USD!

토스트 (Toast)
1,300W
Cart (홍대역 1번)

This toast-maker operates in the mornings just outside HongDae exit 1; and she charges 1,300W for the bare-bones toast, the process of making which is posted above. Surprisingly, however, that isn't even close to a deal because I found a diminutive stall in Myeongdong that sells a more substantial toast for a shocking 1,200W! That the HongDae cart operator, when compared to the stall operator, has reduced costs by skimping on ingredients and operating from a mobile platform leads me to believe that there is significant margin in each piece of toast that she sells.

넥타린 (복숭아)

2009-07-10T23:18:00.000+08:00

넥타린들
4,000 원
트럭 (명동)

A basketful of nectarines costs 1,000 won less than a basketful of plums; or does that farmer, in whose truck I find all this delicious fruit, set the price by the swarthy visage of his customer? If the latter is the case, then is it possible to bargain with the dude?

What lends credence to the bargaining idea is the lack of conspicuous price tags on the various items in his truck, as though the fruit in his truck were used cars in a parking lot just waiting for the right price-insensitive customer to walk by. Indeed, I have seen price tags on other trucks in Seoul, so my suspicions have been raised. I'm going to consult several of my friends tomorrow on this matter - the investigation continues!

많은커피

2009-07-10T22:57:00.000+08:00

Cappuccino

1,900 원

Sweet Buns (명동역, 서 울, 한 국)

조지아

800 원

GS25 (홍 대, 서 울, 한 국)

GS25 Coffee

Ridiculously Cheap (Was it 350 or 750?)

GS25 (홍 대, 서 울, 한 국)

I've lately been really crawling down the coffee price ladder in Korea. First it was the fixed price cappuccino at Sweet Buns inside the Myeong-dong subway station; then, still not satisfied with a hot cup of joe at a decent price, I switched to the canned stuff, hitting up a GS25 for an 800won can of cold Georgia coffee. At last, unable to stay awake in class, I resorted to one of those mysterious plastic cups in the convenience store, inside of which I found an instant coffee packet and a stirrer. How far have I fallen!?

Trust me: coffee doesn't taste much better the more expensive it becomes; but I guarantee that the less you pay for a cup of joe, the less likely it will taste like a cup of joe! The 350won cup of instant coffee tasted as horrible as if maggots were just shoved down my throat; and what's worse, I still couldn't concentrate in class! So, I've learned to pay enough for at least a can of coffee, if not the authentic, steaming hot stuff made right before your eyes.

Peanuts, Plums and 사 과

2009-07-05T19:53:00.000+08:00

Bag of peanuts (3,000 원)
둘 사 과 와 한 basket of plums (7,000 원)
Truck (명 동)

I finally found fresh produce; and experienced first-hand what my friend had complained about earlier in the day: price shock (x_x).

Can you feel the electricity? Perhaps my wallet alone can sense that eery tingle after dishing out $8USD for two apples, a bag of roasted peanuts and a basket of plums. That for that price I could either buy those items, or dine-in on 둘 돌 솥 비 빔 밥 strikes me as strange, somehow. What's more, the smell of burnt leather is in the air.

The extortion, however, should end soon if my friend is correct. What with the fleeing of the rural youth to the cities, my friend opines, the ultimate generation of Korean farmers, along with a ridiculously sheltered agricultural industry shall pass away into the quietude of the past. I concurred with his prediction, and then wondered aloud how many more years it would it take for the government to offer seductive enticements to lure the young people back to the countryside to farm!

홍 대 의 커피

2009-07-04T14:39:00.000+08:00

Cappuccino

1,900 원 (포 장); 4,500 원 (dine in)

Coffee Brown (홍 대, 서 울, 한 국)

Coffee, it seems, is a national drink of Korea; and the schemes to price it have blown me away. While walking in Hong Dae today, I noticed a multitude of coffee shops, most of which can be found on second floors; and when I went inside one to check out the menu, I winced at the exorbitant charges for a cup of Joe; prices that are outrageous in Hong Kong, even. Then I went back out and found a Coffee Brown kiosk, where cappuccino could be bought at a reasonable 1,900 won; and thinking that I could find a seat on the second floor, where they have a cafe, I marched up the stairs, only to find out that dining in - ordering a cappuccino ten feet from the ground - more than doubles the price of the product - whoah! (O_O) I descended from the cafe area and bought my coffee on the ground. It appears that at least in Hong Dae, sitting inside commands a ridiculous premium; and if you are willing to consume outside, in an environment that doesn't guarantee a comfortable seat, you can save quite a lot of change!

Suzuki Cafe, Causeway Bay

2009-06-29T22:12:00.001+08:00

Brand experience encompasses various design elements, product offerings and service performance within a service outlet. Suzuki Café, a typical Japanese fusion café situated near a busy intersection behind Times Square, is a good example of this in its integral design elements and product offerings. When I talk about design elements, I refer to all the visible and tangible components inside the store, such as the menu, furniture, lighting, food and display boards. It is through these elements that the outlet defines its market segment and positions the brand.

The target market:

The following support my conclusion of the female 20-40 white collar target market segment:

Primary shapes in used in designs (simplicity)
Pastel colours in menu (girls soft pallete, easy on the eyes)
Colourful beverages in tall curvy glasses (topped with whipped cream and drizzle of syrup)
Range of colourful food in manageable portions

*note the multiple use of the word “colour”

Product choice and selection:

Breadth and depth: Limited breadth but large depth, demonstrated by the range of cakes with Asian flavours such as green tea, chestnut and wild fruits

Price:

I decided to make a table in order to make it this study relevant and comparable. This table can also be used by Woo for his additions. (note to Woo)

Name	Location	Drink/Dish	Price	Quality	Date	Remarks	Author
Suzuki Café	Causeway Bay	Iced Milk Maccha	$36	Fair	28.06.09	Self add sugar syrup	WF
		Strawberry cake	$24	Fair	“ “	Soft, light	WF
		Lavender, green tea	$30	Poor	“ “		AP

Competition:

The place is a pleasant escape away from the crowds in Causeway Bay. It is also the main competitor of its neighbor Café Habitu, one of my favourite weekend wifi getaways.

A full market analysis takes too much time, you’ll have to pay me for that. (email me at wfung84 at gmail)

*Disclaimer: Please note that this review is time sensitive and is subject to author's discretion.

Introduction

2009-06-29T09:47:00.000+08:00

There are two basic things that most Hong Kong people are familiar with: food and prices.

Food: is easily accessible within walking distance of any give location in Hong Kong;
Price: with all the shopping that we do, something has got to give. Food, a luxury to some, is the easiest expense to cut.

There are a number of reasons why I decided to take on this study:

Firstly, I’d like to observe how restaurants and F&B outlets cope in a difficult economic environment.
Secondly, I’m also interested as restaurants and F&B outlets do not engage in much branding activities, so there needs to be a push for the industry in this direction if Hong Kong wishes to attract tourism, enhance its global identity as a food paradise and thus increase its GDP. (Reasons why the F&B industry does not engage in brand activities might be due to: lack of management initiative, lack of market research and focus on operations.)

The Challenge
The challenge for F&B outlets is that it is hard to differentiate in offerings because dishes can be easily imitated, perhaps not to the same standard but the same type. Thus, the strategy is often to compete on pricing which permanently affects the customer’s future expectations and makes it harder for the restaurant/ F&B outlet to increase their profits.

I’d like to see a bit more creativity in the industry, in creating a brand experience to define its positioning rather than differentiate through price promotions. My articles might be a tad analytical at times but I’ll keep it light-hearted outside of work.

My post might also differ from Woo’s as I might not be looking to venture to different places, but rather I might focus on several key restaurants/F&B outlets and track their menu, pricing and offering changes over time and speculate reasons for these changes.

Milk Drinks

2009-06-27T15:12:00.000+08:00

Nestle chocolate milk

$3.80 (7-11s in Hong Kong)

$5.20 (Park 'N Shop in Lam Tin)

The milk drink discount card that is given annually to students in local primary and secondary schools is indeed invaluable, especially when the discount prices are measured against competitors' regular prices for the same products. Imagine saving a $1.4 on a small carton of milk - you can!

Bombay Dreams

2009-06-27T15:05:00.000+08:00

Indian food

$928 for four people (inclusive of 10% discount)

Bombay Dreams (Tsim Sha Tsui East)

My friends and I held a farewell gathering in this dimly lit restaurant, where laughed, reminisced and feasted on a variety of scrumptious Indian cuisine. When it came time to settle the bill, my friends, who has since returned to Bombay, was able to haggle - to bargain - for the inclusion of a 10% discount. It pays to speak Hindi.

Fried Rice Tea Set

2009-06-27T14:59:00.000+08:00

Fried Rice with Milk Tea

Inexpensive

Second floor restaurant at Harbour Plaza Resort City (Tin Shui Wai)

A huge portion of fried rice, with a drink, can be had for under $30HKD. One of the best deals in Hong Kong, if you can get to this city on its margins. The restaurant ambiance is relaxed, casual, as though you were sitting outdoors in a Latin American villa rather than inside a building in New Territories West! There is furthermore a luminous skylight; and the music is Western pop.

Coffee at McCafes

2009-06-27T14:58:00.000+08:00

Mochaccino, Latte and Flat White

$20-$22

McDonald's (Kowloon Tong)

I'm not sure if this is price discrimination between stores in Hong Kong, or the result of a price increase of $1HKD for all coffees sold in McCafes throughout Hong Kong.

Flat White

2009-06-27T14:45:00.000+08:00

Flat White
$15 (small)
McDonald's (Lam Tin)

Buy four coffees, get one free
No photography in stores
Active price discrimination

e.g. $15/17/19 for flat white

$17/19/21 for cappuccino et al.

Mocha by UFC

2009-06-27T14:43:00.000+08:00

Mocha by UFC
Inexpensive
Jusco supermarket (Lam Tin)

(6/5/09) Both the mocha and the latte flavors carry a strong peanut taste; and I am not sure whether this nutty quality is intended, or whether it is the result of poor quality drink manufacturing.