Savouring Chinese New Year traditions and auspicious recipes
Chinese New Year: Fact & Folklore (1991) isn’t the easiest book to source – you’ll probably have to look on eBay (which is where I found mine) and you can’t be too choosy about the condition (mine...
View ArticleTop Hong Kong food blogger gives us a peek into his pantry
Known to his followers as a gourmet extraordinaire, K.C. Koo is an inexhaustible well of energy. He published his first restaurant review on openrice.com in 2000 and has since become one of Hong Kong’s...
View ArticleChateau Margaux heiress recalls her first sip of wine - at age three
Tell us about the wine bar Clarette, which you opened in London last year? “The wines are 50 per cent French, but we also have bottles from around the world. Because London is an international city, we...
View ArticleThree high-quality and elegant wines from Australia
Australia has built a solid reputation for producing high-quality, technically well-made wines.“Consumers have learned they can trust wines from Australia,” says Andrew Hardy, senior winemaker at...
View ArticleHong Kong’s diverse food culture celebrated in cookbook
Australia-based Smudge Publishing, run by Jonette George and her daughters, Daniele and Kaitlyn Wilton, is behind several location-focused cookbooks, including Flavours of Sydney (2014), Flavours of...
View ArticleHow a Hong Kong restaurant group went from underdog to leader of the pack
Wednesday, 5.30pm, Carbone, LKF Tower, Wyndham Street, Central The staff meeting is already in full swing. Franco, a middle-aged Italian, is barking instructions. “Make sure to mention the white...
View ArticleWinter warmer: satay soup with poached beef and udon recipe
This recipe for satay soup was inspired by a picture I saw on a friend’s Instagram feed; the original dish featured instant noodles (without the flavour pack) simmered in satay broth that had been used...
View ArticleHong Kong’s favourite chef opens up about his taste for tinned sardines,...
David Lai is one of Hong Kong’s best loved local chefs. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, he began his culinary training, gaining experience in the Bay Area at Masa’s (since...
View ArticleRaising a toast: the dos and don’ts, and how to sabre a champagne bottle
Raising a toast at a dinner, special occasion or event has long been a way to honour an individual. It is difficult to trace the origins of this custom but many believe it began with the ancient Greeks...
View ArticleBig in Japan, souffle pancakes are a light and fluffy breakfast treat
Trust the Japanese to turn a simple breakfast into something special. Don’t make this for a crowd – the batter deflates quickly. If you’re cooking for more than two or three, prepare each batch...
View ArticleCookbook celebrates diverse ingredients of Chilean cuisine
What comes to mind when you think of Chilean gastronomy (if you think of Chilean gastronomy at all)? Ummm … wine? Maize, potatoes and quinoa? Those are ingredients, not dishes. Until recently, all I...
View ArticleHow ‘hard, crazy’ mother set Sydney chef on road to culinary glory
What food do you remember from your childhood? “My mum always cooked Vietnamese food so I grew up eating pho. I would come home and smell the huge stockpot of broth, whether it was duck noodle soup...
View ArticleAt centuries-old German winery, nuance and elegance come naturally
Weingut Schätzel winery has been quietly attracting the attention of critics. Specialising in riesling, the Schätzel familyhas been making wines for 650 years in the Rheinhessen, Germany’s largest wine...
View ArticleBlack bean chilli relish peps up chicken noodles with soft-centred eggs recipe
This recipe looks daunting, but actually it is very easy: basically, it is shredded chicken (shop bought) with rice noodles, soft-centred eggs and a few other ingredients. Only the black bean chilli...
View ArticleAsian staples congee, noodles and rice explored in TV chef Mrs Fong’s cookbook
The contents of this 1990 book, one of a series of publications that fall under the umbrella banner of being a “Lisa Yam’s Cook Book”, are as straightforward as its title. Lisa Yam, who is better...
View ArticleIn praise of pét-nat: hip new wine craze adds affordable sparkle
The newest “pet” in the wine world is pétillant naturel, known in geek speak as “pét-nat”. It’s a cute term for a natural wine with a bit of fizz that can be quite foamy when opened, and ranges from...
View ArticleWhy top sushi chef chose Hong Kong for first overseas branch of one of...
Why did you choose to open your first and only overseas branch in Hong Kong? “My primary objective is to make sure everything here is exactly the same as in Tokyo. I’ve done collaborations before in...
View ArticleShangri-La chefs share top Chinese recipes and drinks pairings in cookbook
At first glance, this cookbook can be maddeningly frustrating because there’s a lot of information missing. I couldn’t find the year it was published on the copyright page (an online search revealed...
View ArticleSusan Jung’s recipe for breakfast focaccia that is delicious throughout the day
I rarely eat breakfast before going to work and, on the weekends, I tend to wake up late, so, really, this dish should be called brunch focaccia. Whatever time of day you eat this (the focaccia also...
View ArticleTop Michelin-starred Italian chef on pineapple pizza controversy and running...
Is it true that you don’t like to travel? “I do like to travel, but if I said yes to every request, then I wouldn’t be able to spend time in my own kitchen. We have almost 10 outlets now, so that alone...
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