208 Duecento Otto

One of the most compelling dinners I had in 2013 was at 208 Duecento Otto!   I'd immediately loved the restaurant when I saw its stunning outlook.  Its interior is equally remarkable - blue-and-white porcelain walls   and wooden rustic tables together created a very cozy dining environment for its customers.   I thought the restaurant's interior looks more Portuguese than Italian but I realized I was wrong thanks to google.  it is supposed to be New York hip Italian style.

(photo courtesy of http://www.habitat-property.com/)

My friend and I managed to survive our very own stressful days and started off with some house wine and bread.  The deployment of herbs on the bread was sensational, but what was more remarkable about the bread was the slight chars on the oily surface!  They helped bring the bread to a whole new level of crustiness.

Our dinner started with some deep-fried asparagus.  The asparagus was delicately coated with flour and cheese powder.   The beauty of the dish is that the freshness of asparagus was not overburdened by the flavorings, while the cheese helped bring a sophisticated touch to the taste of asparagus.   

208 Boston Lobster Fettuccine was very good.  My friend thought the pasta grew soupy in the lobster bisque, but i absolutely liked the very generous help of rich bisque.  The lobster came with a creamy consistency with the bisque.  I believed the chef poached the lobster in the bisque before serving it with the pasta.  

How can one conclude a wonderful Italian dinner without a pizza?  This is the Diavola Pizza!   The spicy salami was sliced into thin pieces and probably was fried until they were cripsy.  Together with the melted mozzarella and creamy tomato sauce that tastes of deep satisfaction, this pizza is too good to miss.

A side note is, the room was astonishingly loud.  A group of ladies seemed to throw a birthday party at the restaurant.  I and my friend had to raise our voices to make our conversation audible.  Otherwise, everything else was perfect!

208 Duecento Otto
208 Hollywood Road,
SOHO,
Sheung Wan

Korea Restaurant

The Korea Restaurant in Tin Hau is one of THE Korean restaurants you should visit at least once.  It is an intimate and delicate space.  Everything in this place oozes a relaxed, soothing vibe, from its friendly staff to its scrumptious food.

Your culinary journey at this restaurant already embarks when you are greeted with its great barbecue aroma.  This evening, we ordered the Samgyetang Bulgogi set meal.

An array of Banchan were quickly served after we placed the order... all of them were very delicious.  Gogumasun Namul, the marinated potato starter, was especially succulent and sweet.  But the Banchan paled in comparison with the Bulgogi plates.

Here comes the Bulgogi portion!  There were seafood, pork and beef  - all marinated in very special barbeque sauce.  And thanks to my good cooking skill, I was able to bring out the best of the raw food :P  The beef, complemented with the sauce, charred in a delicious smoky way; yet, its fresh flavour was not masked.  The pork was very delicious, full of fatty flavour.  It was flavoured up when I added a sprinkling of pepper over it.  

The Pajeon ensured that, if you were not already feeling full by the Bulgogi, you would be stuffed by the time you were done.

We slowly hit the height of the crescendo of the menu.  The fragrant Samgyetang was the star of this evening!  It was bittersweet, rich and satisfying.   Having just finished the Bulgogi, I could feel that there were a lot of heat and fire accumulated in me.  The soup helped clear this heat from my body.

The waiters were very friendly.  They initiated to replace the barbeque plate for us when it got crusty.

Another highlight of the evening was: I ran into Chip Tsao, my former mentor when I studied at HKU!  I didn't say hi though, as he was with his family.  

Korea Restaurant
Shop A, 13-17 Lau Li Street,
Tin Hau,
Hong Kong
  

Mori Sushi

It takes me some efforts to find Mori as it hides itself in the heaving wet market in the mid-levels.   Mercifully though, not many people know this cozy little Japanese restaurant, which means we can always get a table there even if we only make reservation one day in advance.  

There are many Japanese restaurants in the area, but to find one that has good Japanese food at good prices?  That's no mean feat.  So imagine my excitement when I chanced upon Mori last summer!  It is a hidden gem in central.  It offers decent set meals with pocket-friendly prices.    The raw fish it serves are always sparkling fresh!   

I ordered the Mori Sushi set while my dinning companion ordered the Deluxe Assorted Sashimi Ori Sushi Rice Set.  This time, Mori procured some freshest ingredients from the ocean.  My sushi set contained an assortment of seasonal fish and/or seafood selection: Salmon, Scallop, Toro, Hamachi... Every bite was oh-so-good! 

A closer look at the winner of the plate: Hamachi  sushi.  I believe it was taken from  the belly of the fish.

The sashimi starter that came with my sushi set.  It was also very nice!  

The udon that came with my set was rather drab.  The broth was almost tasteless and the udon was too soft.  

My companion's sushi rice set.  I didn't have a bite of it, he said it was great!   

Everything was done to a high standard, and we thoroughly enjoyed the meal.   However, the service isn’t exactly friendly... That said, Mori is still my favourite and is a place that I can see myself coming back.  Don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourself.

Mori Sushi
G/F, 34 Graham Street, Central

Yushoku Japanese Dining Bar

Yushoku establishes its fame for serving Teppanyaki.  They also do not mind letting you see their chefs searing the meat and vegetables in front of you.   When the dishes are served, they are still sizzling hot.   You end up leaving the restaurant reeking of smoke and grease.

I have to say their hot items are outstanding indeed.  Therefore, I frequent the place despite knowing that i always leave the place smelling of smoke. 

One Saturday afternoon, my friend suggested we should go to Yushoku again,  knowing I am craving for some Japanese food after a long working week. 

My friend ordered pan-fried fish.   She said it was great.  I didn't try it though. (A failed attempt to capture the fish...  bear with me, i am not a geek. )

I ordered tuna belly sashimi, hoping that it would taste as good as the hot items.  But was disappointed to realize that their sashimi items don't fare quite as well.  The dish was quite abysmal.   The problem was, their tuna was quite shabby.  ew.  Even by sprinkling some diced spring onion over it failed to liven the dish up.  Worse, there were bone in the tuna!!! 

I left the dish virtually untouched.

All in all, their sashimi was very average and evidently overpriced.  A return visit for their sashimi is not plausible, when topping up a few bucks could get you a wholesome and satisfying lunch at Genki in Shun Tak Centre.

Yushoku Japanese Dining Bar
G/F, No. 145 Connaugh Road ,
Sheung Wan