Bites: Ha Lu @ Mount Hawthorn

Sis have been complaining that I have not bought her a birthday meal for awhile now.  So deciding on what to have for her birthday this time had to be special.  While I was thinking of something a little more fancy like Matilda Bay Restaurant, Friends and such, she wanted something a little more casual and with more choices of food.  In the end, we ended up at Ha Lu.  Perhaps the best small plate option where everyone gets to try a lot of food.  At Ha Lu, I have been impressed once and this time was no exception.  It was equally good!  The dining style here is Izakaya which has a similar concept to tapas.

 

That night we shared 9 dishes among us and all but one was great!  We started of with a refreshing course of vegetables and meat:Root vegetable salad with onsen egg and sesame dressing.  A delicious recommendation from the waitress.  The root vegetables of all sort were fried before being mixed with some fresh leaves and tossed in sesame dressing.  It was a textural marvel with all the different type of root vegetables with varying consistency contributing to its flavors!

 

While I used to hate sashimi, I somehow took a U turn and have started loving this little fish delights.  Now, it is almost obligatory.  Then again, I found $26 for 9 slices a little steep.  My take on having a delicious sashimi was Ha Lu’s Sashimi Tartar of the day @ $14 below.  It was fantastic.

 

This was a fantastic dish which I had in my first visit.  More importantly, it still was.  Marinated in soy and some spices, the tartar was served with a side of crisp and wasabi mayonnaise.  All the magic ingredients for a foodgasm.

 

The wagyu tataki was nice  with the dressing but I would have very much preferred it to be served with a side of finely sliced onions.  The fried onions were a tad too heavy on the palate.  In my mouth, it sort of reaches to that extent where it was just too oily to partake in such fresh flavors.

 

Moving on to the deep fried course:Dude food with a twist I must say.  But the twist was not in the chicken but rather the concoction of mayonnaise and ume plum mayonnaise.  It provided a hint of ripeness to the sauce making what usually is a rich (sometimes cloying) dipping sauce, light and delicious.   Welcoming addition which added a nice touch to the Kara age.

 

A classic favourite of scallops sitting on a fried lotus root topped with some micro herbs.  Finish with a little heat from the Chili Mayonnaise.

 

Finishing the savory course with braised and grilled foods!The Pork Belly Kaku-Ni is a slow braised pork belly in soy sauce.  No need for praises here.  Just imagine melt in your mouth pork soaked in a fragrant and rich soy braise.  All with some steamed rice.  Enough said :)!  Cannot wait to replicate this dish in winter.  It is going to be heaven.

 

The last time we came to Ha Lu, we had to order this twice.  Maybe thrice.  But this was so small! But oh my god.  This was good! Only complain could be the chicken was not as tender as I remembered it to be!  The flavors though, are your typical teriyaki.  Just a lot better. :)!!

 

Another fish on the table.  The  Miso Patagonian Tooth fish was my biggest disappointment of the night.  It felt like Ha Lu was trying to do Nobu’s Black Cod Miso but this was just not what I expected.  I wanted more quality.  More delicateness in flavors.  And the fish itself felt horrible.  This was a big no no for me.  Sorry Ha Lu.  Terrible.

 

To finish the night, we had our desserts.  This time David decided to opt out as he was not a person who enjoys sweet food.  I do not either but I reckon I would not mind having it with my sister.  It was her birthday lols.  A little sad to have it by herself!Mine was the Black Sesame Tiramisu while Sis had the Panna Cotta.  Both were delicious but perhaps mine was marginally the better of the two.

 

Over all, Ha Lu is still a damn good eat.  The first Izakaya I had still packs the great quality it had from day 1!  

 

WenY

Bites: Ming Court (2 Michelin Stars) @ Langham Place, Hong Kong

One very simple rule about traveling.  If you are really on a food journey, then you really have to try the best local food.  And so I did.  With so many restaurants in the country, one would literally be lost in translation.  Where do I go to?  This?  That? Where? Whatttttttttt?  But with Michelin guides, you do not have too many to choose from.  Just a simple list.  For my Christmas Eve dinner, I thought to myself, instead of leaving Mongkok and crowd with everyone heading to Tsim Sha Shui or Central, we would just eat in the hotel itself.  But Langham Place is no lousy hotel and that includes having quality restaurants too.  This includes the 2 Michelin Star Chinese Restaurant, Ming Court.  Coming at 8pm we  were promptly attended to and was brought to a table which was already awaiting our arrival.  I have to say even without a picture, that the restaurant looked fantastic.  Its long and warmly lit walkway made me feel like I was in Rockpool for a bit!

 

On the table:

Dipping sauces of XO Sauce and Spicy Bean Paste.

 

Then comes the food we ordered.  While most have praised Yung Kee in Central for their divine roast goose, I have to insist that the one in Ming Court was pretty damn good too.It has probably one of the best roast goose skin I have ever eaten.  It was really crisp!  But one thing I found rather weird was that the goose itself was not extremely tasty.  It was the sauce the goose was sitting on that tasted really delicious.  The meat was nothing to rave about but it was still fairly juicy for a roast!  However, goose being what it is felt a bit sickening after awhile as these had a good amount of fat in it.  5 ladies and 1 guy had problems finishing this meager first course.  I lol’ed.

 

Second coarse was the Bean Curd Sheet, Dried Shrimp Roe, White Button Mushroom, Chinese Black Mushrooms.Despite the bean curd and mushrooms looking extremely heavy in flavor, it was not.  The flavor felt subtle, no Chinese Oyster Sauce overdose whatsoever.  It was just very light and gentle where you can really taste each individual flavors. In fact, it was the broccoli that complemented the dish with a salty braising sauce drizzled over it.  The shrimp roe here appeared to me as a textural element along with a little fragrant more than anything else.  Sandy little bugger.

 

Fish Maw, Vegetable, Bean curd, Mushrooms.In my life, I have never eaten such weird looking fish maw ever ever before.  I guess this was one of the higher grade ones.  Then again, I have always though fish maw to be puffy little tubes.  But that does not matter much.  This was great as the broth was awesome.  Could have been better but good thing it was light because most of the dishes I have ordered were quite heavy on the palate.

 

Third Course was the 2009 HK Silver Culinary Award Winner the Giant Groper Enrobed in Minced Shrimp, Pepper Shrimp.I really liked this one.  The minced shrimp on the fillet provided a nice chewiness to the fish.  And oh, the still crispy skin of the fish made this really moorish! Definitely could have more of that!  While I did not touch the prawn head, Nigga’s mom happily ate a few.  And while the vegetables look like decorative items, they were meant to tone the dish giving a healthier feel.  Not that it mattered to me.  I was on holiday! hohohoho!

 

Fourth Course was an in-house signature dish of Silky Egg White, Pepper Shrimp, Crispy Perilla Leaf.While this was a feast to the eyes, we slow eaters left it out for too long making these fluffy layers of egg white pillows oily.  The food really came out quite quickly @@!  I guarantee it could have been very pleasant when ate warm but I guess we were a little too slow!  The prawns that was hidden inside though was still delicious with a hint of pepper.  More importantly, it was cooked spot on! :)!

 

The fifth course was a course of Pan-Seared Chicken, Water Chestnuts,Black Truffle, Buttery Pumpkin.  It was something all us agreed tasted like a Michelin Starred Creation!  More importantly for Ming Court, this dish was awarded a Gold Medal in the 2010 HK Culinary Awards.  The idea was simple a chicken cake mixed with finely diced chestnuts for that little bits of sweet crunchy feeling.  Buttery pumpkin did its job of bring subtle sweetness along with  buttery sensation.  The whole idea for me went really really well.  It was tasty, yet light on the palate despite looking like something drenched in black pepper sauce.  The truffle was used sparingly and provided no more than a modest coating.  Delicious!  It for me was the star of the night!

 

Our final course to fill the already filled tummies were diced black chicken fried rice.This although fried to perfection, it did not entice me.  The “wok-hei” as the Chinese calls it or flavor of a hot wok was really alluring but somehow, the flair of an old school yong chow fried rice would have sufficed.  No need for fancy black chicken or additional ingredients.  Nonetheless, this was not a bad fried rice at all. 

 

Our meal at Ming Court was really enjoyable but in terms of pricing, one would definitely not call Ming Court cheap.  The meal for 6 including tea added up to 2000HKD or $40 a head which is pretty on par with most upper market places in Australia.  However, the quality and ingredients used today were no simple thing one can easily order outside.  But was this really a 2 Michelin Star restaurant?  I really found that a difficult question to answer.  The roast goose felt somewhat lackluster for something so highly rated.  The bean curd dish was special but not quite that 2 stars along with the fried rice and fish maw dish.  But when it came to the shrimp enrobe giant groper or the chicken with truffles, I decided to put the petty issues aside and enjoy the food for what it was worth.  Such special dishes in my opinion might not be super new because fusing two meat together has been done quite frequently, but the way Ming Court does it, I was sold.   So there you have it.  Will I return?   Yes.  Next time around, I know what I would order :)!

 

WenY

Bites: Mr Munchies Sushi @ Mount Lawley

In Perth, I have always found the Japanese food here to be of amazing quality.  However some might disagree, for instance my blogger pal Glenn from Singapore.  While I do not doubt him, I clearly understand his preference.  For S$20 bucks in Singapore, one gets treated to a whole tray of sashimi bento while in Perth, $15 AUD does not get you very far in terms of Japanese unless you settle for the likes of budget restaurants.  Nevertheless, Perth still has a range of daring entrepreneurs who dare to challenge like IS Donburi, Aisuru Sushi and now, Mr Munchies Sushi.  Located in the arcade along Beaufort street, one really has to play hide and seek to find this little establishment.

 

Nevertheless, coming in early at 6.15pm, we beat the queue to score seats in this little eatery.  No more than 30 seats for sure.  So how does Mr Munchies put itself ahead of others?  Well firstly this place allows you to make your own sushi.  Easily a first in the business.  But why trouble yourself when their menu is filled with rolls named by a rock star?

The new style sashimi was the start to meal where it appears like a fresh salmon got caught and drizzled by garlic crumbs by a Chinese man.   For most parts I have to say, that just because it had garlic crisps sprinkled all over does not mean I was not sold.  It was still deliciously fresh.

 

Next was a dish where boys will always be boys.  What can I say?  Good old karaage with spicy mayonnaise.  Classily performed.  For me this was better than most, but there is just something about Toraya @ Subiaco which makes it hard to beat.  But still, this worked a treat!

 

Then comes the most important part of the night.  Rock star named sushi like the Energy Roll:At $17.50 a serve, we see unagi, prawns, coriander and this was finished with a drizzle of the unagi sauce.  Over all, good flavors, fresh eel, and an almost useless prawn.  This is where I start to ponder.  The sushi could barely fit in my mouth and there is just something about putting prawns that has no impact in a jumbled up sushi like that.  I think plain unagi would do fine.   My biggest complain would be the rice.  As the sushi was so large, the kids rolling this up had to apply extra pressure to contain it all. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!  You are meant to give it the baby treatment. 

 

Next was another fancily named sushi.  The Kilpatrick Roll.For me this was my favourite of the lot as all flavors were distinctively noticeable.  The cheese, the chicken, the bacon.  It was all very clear.  What was a let down here was the rice.  It was so overly compressed it felt a little gluggy at times.  For me, it needs to be airy.  Sushi is a lot about the rice in my opinion.  There is a reason why plain sushi balls still sell well in Japan.  Because the rice just taste beautiful.

The Philadelphia roll was another keen creation at Munchies.  It had cream cheese, smoked salmon finished with a drizzle of mayo and sweet chili.This was our first roll and it was pretty good.  Just that the same issue over and over.  The rice needs more space and perhaps the smoked salmon did not really taste like one.  It felt more like plain salmon rather than smoked.

 

By the time we got to our last roll, we were so over rolls.  Yes these were humungous.  Get any roll you see and double the diameter of it.  These were not your small as sushi rolls like the ones I had at Aisuru Sushi and still got charge a lot more money.  It was all about value and creativity in this little store.The concept on this was simple, in a way where perhaps it touched on the simpler things. Simple marinated tuna, flying fish roe and avocado.  It is a combination that is hard to disappoint.

 

From experience, rarely does one place beat classic good old sushi by displaying skills of a similar level, modern day sushi feels as if it is all about novelty sushi with the typical ingredients plus more.. a lot more.  When I visited Aisuru Sushi, I swore that I would never step in again.  I love my mayonnaise yes.  But at Aisuru, it was all too much.  More so when you pay the bill.  Here at Mr Munchies Sushi, the price was outmost reasonable.  This quick fix that filled 5 guys was only 20 bucks a head.  But there is never no room for improvement.  I only have one major complain.  The rice needs better treatment.  Not people putting their whole body weight to keep the roll together.  If they improve, I cannot help but feel a certain future devotion to this little eatery.  So perhaps next time when you are felling a bit low, get yourself an Energy Roll!WenY