Ho Lee Fook - Central, Hong Kong

Don't you just hate it when you write up a whole blog post, and just as you prepare to publish it...it's all disappears? That's what happened to me...I had originally written a huge post about our time in Hong Kong but due to some unforeseen technical difficulties, I lost most of the content...Oh well, had to happen some time right? So, having being dejected from the loss of so much content, I'd held off on blogging again until I regained my momentum. Now that I'm back, I thought it'd be a great idea to blog about the two highlights of my trip.

Part of me believes that the purpose of the trip to Hong Kong was to show the Mrs my hometown, let her experience my culture and feed her my childhood delights...but I know that a majority of my motivation came from my compelling desire to dine at two specific restaurants: Ho Lee Fook and RONIN. For me, this was like a holy pilgrimage that's been two or so years in the making...so, one night, the Mrs, my sister and I headed out to dinner at Ho Lee Fook. It was really, really surprising that we managed to even get a table at all since we were just walk ins but we got our after a very short wait...which was amazing because I couldn't wait to dig in.

A great way to start off any night is with a few delicious cocktails which we all certainly did indulge in. The Mrs wasn't feeling too well so she stuck to a mocktail, but I ordered a yakult gin fizz which was everything I could have wanted: crisp, creamy, foamy and layered with the herbaceous taste of gin and the sweet taste of yakult. 

Shortly after our drinks landed, our first dish of the night arrived at the table: Wagyu steak tartare served Yunnan style. The menu described it as hot and sour which was a very apt description: the spicy element was definitely very obvious but it made the dish all the more savoury and delectable. Each bite of meltingly rich and tender beef was followed by a fiery sting and then mellowed out by the aromatic herbs. Pair that with the crunch of the crackers and you get this amazing textural experience. It reminded me quite a bit of the tartare the Mrs and I had at Ms.Gs (which isn't really surprising since Ho Lee Fook's head chef, Jowett Yu is ex-Mr.Wong...he is someone I admire very much and one of my biggest reasons for dining at Ho Lee Fook).

Second to arrive at our table was Ho Lee Fook's Mom’s “mostly cabbage, a little bit of pork” dumplings. The dumpling wrappers were a little softer than I'm normally used to but nothing out of the ordinary for blanched/steamed dumplings as they are quite high in water content. This didn't detriment how simple and beautiful this dish was though as the filling contained in this sophisticated package was light yet juicy with each element layered and pronounced. The sauce accompanying the dumplings bumped up the umami tenfold.

After the dumplings came our order of the fried cauliflower and brussels sprouts with maple bacon chilli jam. By far, this was the most surprisingly delicious dish as we didn't expect all the components of the dish to work so well together. The veggies had a perfect crunch and a really pronounced, clean flavour. In addition to the above, you have that sweet, smokey flavour from the bacon chilli jam...oh so good.

Next came the prawn lo mein with shellfish oil, grilled shallots and crispy garlic. Although good, this was probably the dish that I found...underwhelming. I'm a massive carb fiend and what this means is that I love and appreciate any form of noodles, rice or pasta. While I did find this delicious, it really lacked in impact to me. The prawns were cooked perfectly...plump, juicy and meaty but in Hong Kong, I somewhat doubt the fact that you can find anywhere that doesn't do prawns well with such fresh produce. Personally, these noodles just tasted too simple...like plain XO sauce noodles.

But then, came the piece-de-resistance....the holy grail and the culmination of my visit to Ho Lee Fook...the roast wagyu short ribs served with a jalapeño purée, green shallot kimchi and drizzled with soy glaze. Each piece of beef had a crunchy, smokey exterior which held together the tender, melt in your mouth beef ribs. This is all accentuated by the spice of the jalapeno puree, the sweetness and umami of the soy glaze and the fresh, crunchy shallots...legitimate heaven on earth.

If you (like me) like to live life on the edge, you can single-handedly try to polish off the non-meaty side of the dish which contained all the cut offs and tendony bits. In my opinion, this was the most delicious (yet dangerous) part of the dish...after finishing that whole side, I felt so full that I was gonna burst....but it was so, so worth it.

Although I didn't get to see one of my food heroes in the kitchen that night, I can say with absolute certainty that this was one of the most memorable nights of my honeymoon and certainly worth the visit. In a city that's filled with so many packed with culinary delights, Ho Lee Fook stands out as a beacon of the new-age: fun filled, no boundaries Chinese inspired fare designed to delight the senses. If given the opportunity, I would return again and again without regret.

Honeymoon video!

We got married!!!

So...I got married?? Yea...the Mrs and I weren't actually previously married but we were engaged to be married. In my mind, she'd always been my soul-mate: always on the same page and always supporting everything I did...she was, for all intents and purposes, my Mrs. Generally speaking, I think I can make the assumption that if you regularly read our blog, you know us personally so this may not be news to you but in the case that you aren't...the Mrs and I finally finished planning our big 'event' and tied the knot early January! We'd been travelling around in Hong Kong and Philippines for our honeymoon so I haven't blogged about it but it was a spectacular success!

This will be a departure from my regular food blogs (when you get married, you don't really pay attention to the food) but instead, it'll be a sort of recap of the day. I'd also like to take this chance to appreciate all those who had contributed to our day. My groomsmen and I got dressed early on in the day and headed out to pick up the Mrs. This was all part of a Chinese custom called  'fetching the bride'. The purpose of this was to officially whisk the bride away and take her back home to perform the 'tea ceremony'. This is a very important ceremony which officially welcomes the bride into the groom's family. Firstly, thank you to all my groomsmen (and especially, my best man Simon) for without any one of you, my day wouldn't have been as successful or as enjoyable. You guys had my back when I get flustered, grumpy, forgetful and most of all, accommodated my every whim without complaint.

Not us two...the Mrs and I!!!

Upon arrival at the first location and before we're able to 'fetch the bride', we're all put through some very gruelling challenges as a part of the 'door games'. These are mini-games (normally very physical) designed to make the groom and groomsmen suffer. This is to make the groom put in the effort and express his appreciation for his to-be-wife. Despite not being Cantonese, the Mrs' Maiden-of-honor did an absolutely excellent job with the challenges! Thank you to my sister-in-law for putting in the hard yards to help plan this! The groomsmen and I ended up doing many burpees, tasting many different flavours (wasabi...) and asking many of the other hotel guests for pieces of marital advice before gaining access to the room....and boy, she was very much worth it.

Thank you to my long-time friend Catherine for designing the tea ceremony dress and the Mrs' wedding dress. Both were magnificent, gorgeous and beautiful in every way...I was encapsulated from the moment I first laid eyes on the Mrs and I didn't look away from her once the whole day. With the bride fetched, we made our way back to my family home where we did the tea ceremony. After Which, it was a mad dash to get the bride back to her hotel room so that she could get ready for the church ceremony. For me and the boys, we made our way as quickly and efficiently to the church.

Obviously, I wasn't able to take any photos during the ceremony (being the groom and all) but if you're interested, take a look on instagram for the tag #mrandmrschopsticks and #mrandmrschopstickswedding for photos of us walking down the aisle (you'll probably need to scroll through our honeymoon photos though). I can honestly say that this was the happiest moment of my entire life...almost 6 years of dating and 2 years worth of planning culminating in the most beautiful woman in the world, saying that she was willing to take an immature, broken and clueless man to be her husband. I couldn't imagine a better location or a more beautiful day to get married to my best friend.

We had our reception at the Epping Club who were spectacular in every way: value for money as almost every major component was taken care of as a part of the package. The reception was full of bittersweet tears, heart-felt speeches and surprises. One such surprise was the special dance I planned for the Mrs! check it out:

A special thank you to my brothers-in-law: Rolf and Rj as well as Brent, Andrew, Terrence for helping me plan this and constantly practicing with me. A very, very special thank you to CeeJay for assisting me with choreographing the whole dance....without your guidance and advice, we would have never been able to pull this off. I have to say, this is one of the proudest moments of my life as I'm prone to extreme stage fright and anxiety when performing in front of others....but we did it!

Finally, thank you again to our parents for helping us with this whole planning process and assisting us with ensuring that this day went smoothly. I couldn't have been more surprised to see my father-in-law, mother-in-law and the Mrs surprise me with a dance. Even more surprising and touching was how emotional my parents got. If you'd had a Chinese upbringing, you'll be familiar with the aspect of your family where the verbal expression of heartfelt emotions is near impossible. This is why I was so ecstatic to see my mother, aunties and uncles up and dancing with me in celebration!





Even after returning from our honeymoon and having (finally) lived with the Mrs for a while, it still hasn't hit me that I'm a married man. I may wear the ring and I may bear the title of Mr but I think it doesn't feel too different...I think that even before we made it official, even without physically having lived with each other, the Mrs and I shared a special bond which made us closer and more connected in our hearts (and bellies). I'm positive that I married the right girl and I'm so excited to share a lifetime of happy times and meals as we are now the official, Mr and Mrs Chopsticks.

Grabbed Laksa from Malay Chinese as our first meal after being married. We were made for each other.

Chopsticks x B.R.A.D collaboration: Hello Kitty Diner - Chatswood, NSW

To the Mrs: by the time you read this, I should be officially standing next to you as your husband by that point in time. Theoretically then, it should be safe for me to post this to you without spoiling anything. Firstly, I'll have to apologise to you as I've gone and tried something without you again...but not without good reason this time. The B.R.A.D crew and I had dance practice and so, they invited me to dine with them at Hello Kitty Diner prior to going to practice...you can't be mad at me for that (smiley face).

I met up with the boys of B.R.A.D right after I finished work where I took the train from North Sydney to Chatswood and immediately bolted up to the diner to meet with them. They'd already ordered some "snacks" to start but once I arrived, we quickly proceeded to order the dishes we all wanted to eat. I found my experience at Hello Kitty diner to be...very reminiscent of when I used to watch Hello Kitty cartoons with my younger sister. She'd always demand to watch the Hello Kitty VHS we had so I'd begrudgingly watch it with her...but secretly, I did like watching it too. The titular mascot is sprawled almost everywhere in the diner making this Sanrio theme restaurant rather endearingly cute.

We'd all ordered an assortment of food items but the first of my orders to come was the fried chicken and waffles. A doughy waffle sits neatly on top of a few nuggets of crispy, southern fried chicken. A drizzle of syrup then glazes both items to complete the package. I'd say that I enjoyed the chicken much more than I did the waffle though as to me, the waffle didn't add to my experience but the chicken was spiced really well and came out rather juicy.

B ordered some sweet potato fries which came with a miso flavoured dipping sauce. He was very much confused by this mixture of flavours as the sweet potato fries would have been too heavy and starchy alone but the dipping sauce was also not too enjoyable to his palate. I on the other hand, very much enjoyed the sauce...the nuttiness from the miso really helped to cut through the starch of the fries. The boys seemed to enjoy the standard fries much more than they did the sweet potato fries.

Shortly after we'd finished the fries and chicken, our burgers arrived at our table. B ordered what I believe to be the crispy pork belly burger: pork belly with slaw, maple bacon and apple. From what I could tell of his facial expressions, I am led to believe that he didn't really enjoy his burger all too much. Although Chur Burger designed the menu and were consulted on the food, I feel as though the offerings at Hello Kitty diner don't really compare that well to the real thing. 

I had ordered the ebi (prawn) burger but as my one arrived, I was informed that they'd run out of milk buns and had to use the other, harder buns...bummer. The flavour of the bun was good however I don't necessarily think it matched my idea of what an ebi burger should be. From my experience, ebi burgers normally contain a patty of chopped prawns fried in a 'katsu' or croquette....this contained separate pieces of fried prawn which made the experience of eating it slightly harder. It also meant the crunch factor was less prominent as you don't have the crispy outer shell of panko to bite down on.

I'd say that if given the choice, I would personally return to Hello Kitty diner...but only under the provision that I'm going with someone who's never been. But for a place like this, I really don't think you really go for the food, food is but an afterthought. Instead, I believe the charm lies in the nostalgic feelings that are conjured when you're surrounded by this immensely popular icon of modern culture.

Manpuku Ramen - Kingsford, NSW

My father-in-law said during dinner that "Manpuku means immense happiness in Japanese". I can't exactly verify that as a fact (I'd studied Japanese at UNSW for three years, kanji was always my worst enemy) but based upon the intense satisfaction I felt during consumption...I'd say he was pretty on track. When I was studying, I'd never ventured previously to try this ramen joint... mainly because one of my closest friends (and occasional ramen buddy), Zhen said that this place wasn't worth the visit. That was when they'd first opened and years later, after the second shop in Chatswood opened up, their popularity steadily grew as you could undeniably see the jump in instagram posts. So, when I knew we were all heading to Randwick on Tuesday night, I'd quickly jumped on it and made the suggestion to take everyone there.

Upon entering, the server greeted us with a lovely, cheerful hello and as we made small talk, he asked us if we were Indonesian as we'd come in in a large group but I mentioned that the Mrs and their family were Filipino. He then broke out into many Filipino words (most of which I still hadn't learnt) and that, I believe, endeared him very much to my in-laws. It wasn't too busy and we weren't in any particular hurry to order so we took our time in deciding and boy...I really needed it. My choice should have been obvious as I have one rule when visiting a new ramen restaurant: always try the miso ramen. But ever since I was lucky enough to try Chase Kojima's first gyoukairui tonkotsu...I'd been addicted to gyokai style ramen (pork bone stock mixed in with fish stock). Naturally then, I'd picked the gyokai with the most: the manpuku mk II.

The whole package is a sight to behold....droplets of flavoursome black garlic oil sits in this milky white broth that's barely viscous. On top are bean sprouts, sliced wood ear mushrooms and not one, but two eggs and two sheets of nori. And then...the piece de resistance: tender, fatty and decadent pieces of braised pork. I am not lying when I say it's incredibly delicious....it can't not be. The broth lacks the finesse and layering of Sokyo's gyoukairui but that doesn't matter, because it's own charm is how well it owns the flavour. The pork is a definite highlight of the dish...you don't even care that you don't get chashu as each bite brings you to a transient state of porcine enjoyment. The noodles aren't my favorite yellow, wavy variant but that's hardly a detriment.

My mate, Preston who joined us for dinner that night ordered the tsukemen. A thick layer of oil hides this opaque and aromatic hot broth which by itself is rather intense but when mixed with the thicker noodles is simply divine. Amongst the other condiments provided, the most notable is the sheet of branded nori and a chunky slab of the same tender, braised pork I got in my soup.

The brother-in-law chose to have the miso ramen (we'd ordered it before he arrived just so it'd we could save some time) and luckily for him, it's arrived not long before he walked through the door. The magic of ramen is truly a wonderful thing...it can turn an exhausted and agitated man into a calm and collected individual through the meditative and therapeutic slurping. As he took each spoonful of soup and each strand of noodle, you could see the grin of utter satisfaction grow on his face. The soup of the miso is nutty and filled with umami. Have a big enough spoonful and you'll taste the slightest hint of a kick for what I assume is the chilli bean paste mixed in with their house blend of miso. The two slices of chashu are torch seared slightly to give it a charred, smokey ambient flavour which works really well in this dish.

The Mrs reaaally missed out as she was on a no-carb diet (faux pas on my part...taking her to a noodle bar) so she stuck to salad but she did order an interesting item which were these two pancakes (at the time, she didn't realise they were made with flour) which were served on sticks and topped with aonori, bonito flakes and kewpie mayo. The filling had bits of seafood and cabbage so basically...an okonomiyaki on a stick....delicious. The father-in-law also order teba gyoza or chicken wing dumplings which were these two chicken mid-wings stuffed with dumpling fillings and then deep fried.

Although we all agreed that Menya was our preferred ramen establishment, Manpuku definitely has it's place on my list. The soup is thick but still drinkable and plenty flavoursome and the ramen is actually a pretty solid and satisfying bowl. If I was ever in the hood again (or in Chatswood), I think I'd certainly return for a bowl of the ramen with the unbelievably hard to pronounce name.

Song Fang Khong - Fairfield, NSW

Happy new year!!! Apologies again for the minor delays between posting content but between juggling christmas, new years and our upcoming event, it's been super hectic. I've had this one saved in my backlog of places to post about for a while now but I'm only just getting to it now that I have some 15 minutes to spare, The Mrs was finishing up work for the term and so we decided to grab a bite somewhere near where she works. When asked where we should eat, the immediate image that came to my mind was Song Fang Khong. I had previously had a wonderful dining experience at Song Fang Khong before when my friend took me here to grab a bite to eat prior to us attending a wedding and because of this, I wanted to replicate that experience for her.

When we arrived, we were super lucky to be able to still grab a table as although this place is small, it's super popular with the locals. As we sat down and looked at the menu, I let the Mrs decide (with my input) what to order. The lady at the counter then proceeded to promptly take down our order and gave us a bottle of table water while we waited...the Mrs then asked the lady for "iced tea". This thoroughly confused me as the Mrs would never order any bottled drinks (I had assumed the Mrs wanted a bottled drink from the fridge) but sure enough, the lady took our bottle of iced water and poured in this dark tea from a pot which looked like it'd been steeping for a long time. As the dark liquid mixed with the water, it turned into a bright, opaque orange which had a fragrance reminiscent of the Thai milk tea the Mrs loves so much. Super refreshing with a spicy bitterness, the water was enough to distract us as we waited for our dishes which arrived shortly after.

First to arrive was the rice and papaya salad. Rather than go for the thai version, I had asked the Mrs to try the authentic Laotian version available on the menu. Fair warning: this dish isn't for people with weak stomachs as it does pack a very funky (yet delicious) taste. This exotic flavour stems from the primary difference between the Thai and Lao versions of the dish: padaek or fish sauce. This ominously dark paste gives the salad it's signature black dressing and funky aroma. Uber delicious with coconut rice and meat but for those who don't like the flavour of fermented fish, stick to that Thai version.

Quickly after our salad arrived, our order of grilled Lao sausages also arrived at our table. By now, everyone should know how much I love sausages...and I have to say, this is the epitome of an amazing sausage. The casing is grilled until it's charred and almost crunchy which it an amazing textural experience as you bite into it, allowing the sausage to release the fatty, spiced meat inside. The meat is flavoured with all sorts of aromatic, southeast asian items of which, most prominent is the lemongrass.

Finally, the plate of grilled ox tongue arrived after the sausages which completed the Laotian feast we had ordered. My usual experience of eating ox tongue is generally restricted to Japanese yakiniku restaurants where they slice the meat rather thinly but in this case, each piece is cut into thick, finger sized pieces which gives it more chew. This also means though that it has a deeper beef flavour and more of a rich, fattiness that it can release when you eat it.

When trying to describe Song Fang Khong to someone who's never been, I find that you can only really describe it with the words "pleasantly surprising". Surprising in that such delicious food and amazing hospitality is hidden away in this gem behind Fairfield station and surprising in that this place has managed stay away from public attention for so long. I would definitely recommend anyone wanting an authentic Laotian dining experience to go try this place.

Mejico - Miranda, NSW

When you've moved out of home, you will occasionally get a little sentimental and home sick. Even if they're only half an hours drive away, life normally gets in the way of you seeing your family. There is a good side to it though...it really highlights how you should cherish the time you have with those that are important to you. Spurned by that thought, the Mrs and I headed down south to Miranda to grab some dinner with my younger sister.

I used to work in Miranda prior to the redevelopment of the shopping mall but since, I haven't actually gone back all that much. We took this opportunity then to introduce the Mrs to the suburb and survey all the new eateries that have opened up. On this occasion, we chose to dine at Mejico which is a popular and well known Mexican eatery. The Mrs and I have always wanted to try the place but we'd never really found an opportune moment. Fortunately as well, since we'd never gone, the responsibility of ordering went to my sister who was a regular at that particular restaurant...woohoo!

We ordered quite a bit to share but we started with their most well known guacamole which is made right at the table and served with plantain chips. All the ingredients are brought fresh to your table where the service staff will personally prepare the guacamole in front of you in a large mortar and pestle. Tangy, creamy and refreshingly light...the guacamole makes for a wonderful dip for the moreish chips.

After the guac, our tacos started to come to the table in quick succession. We ordered the chicken tacos, Salmon Tacos and Pork tacos. I'll elaborate on them a little from the ones I liked the least to the one I liked the most (bear in mind, all of these tacos were amazingly delicious in their own right). Of all three tacos, I personally liked the pork the least which is a little disappointing because I love pork but to me, the tacos had a deep and impressionable impact at first but quickly became overly heavy on the flavours. Texturally and flavour-wise, there wasn't enough to cut through the intensity.

After the pork, I would rank the chicken tacos second best. The chicken is flavoured really well and goes nicely with the chorizo. The cucumber and other spices help to create a layered and complex combination that works together really well.

Finally and most surprisingly, my favorite of the night were the salmon tacos. I normally strongly dislike cooked salmon as it's so easy to overcook it and make it mediocre but the small and well portion salmon pieces worked really, really well in this instance. Cooked to absolute perfection with a delightfully smoky char, made just that much better with a sour element from the cabbage, spice from the jalapenos and the creaminess from the mayo....it just works so wonderfully.

Additional to our tacos, we also got the salmon ceviche which was really good but I'd say something I'd pass on ordering next time. The crunchy radishes and creamy creme fraiche work really nicely with the salmon but I'd have to say that the salmon flesh was chewier than I'm normally used to. On top of that, the tortilla strips came off as a little stale to me.

We'd also ordered the beef short ribs and patatas bravas to share between the three of us but they sort of forgot our order so it took some time before we got to dig in again. No complaints after the first bite however as the beef was so amazingly tender I couldn't have cared how long it took. This dish was all kinds of fatty, beefy goodness with a chipotle chutney that really helps add a tang to the generally heavy and moreish meat. Beef always goes well with carby, starchy potatoes...especially when they have a crunchy, crispy exterior and it's all smothered in a rich, decadent spiced aioli.

It was a great night out catching up with family whilst having amazing food and drinks, I can honestly say that I wouldn't have had our Friday night any other way. Now, I know the Mrs and I have been a little quiet lately but if we haven't mentioned already, a very, very important event is edging dangerously close and we've been flat out trying to keep it all together...which is to say, we haven't forgotten about our readers but we'd like to ask everyone to stick with us a little longer as we have exciting news coming soon!