A special restaurant with only 12 seats, Momofuku Ko serves tasting menu both for dinner at $100 for lunch at $160. The web only reservation system needs your credit card to secure a spot, as well as penalty for no show-up. However, people still get up early trying to get the chance to eat here. What do they offer? 

       To disclose this secret gem, we finally managed to have dinner on a Saturday evening. It was a small place in the east village, only having seats at the bar. And the chef are just cooking in front of you. But I doubt they still have another kitchen underground. The first dish offered is the garlic bread, which is warm, oily, and heavily flavored with garlic flakes and brown sugar, yummy!

       

        Then it comes the tiny chopped potatoes with some green onion sauce as toppings in a spoon, the taste is good, but I wish it was some caviar in that spoon. Nice presentation although. The following is  fluke sashimi with some  rainbow color sauce. At this moment, I have to say, since it is a up-scale tasting menu, please give us some better fish. Café boulud has yellow tail sashimi in the similar way, which taste s much better. But the next one is a highlight, uni  in a soup. It is so elegantly presented, looks like a Chinese or Japanese painting. The uni is sitting on a green boat (which is the pea skin), floating on the soup, with some flowers and leaves. It also reminds me the Japanese Sado, which has improved the eating or drinking to the spiritual level. Following the uni is smoked egg with black caviar. The egg is smoked to be medium-rare, with the honey heart flowing outside. Next is the scallop,   seared on one side to be crispy, tender and chewy in the middle. Love it! At this season, they also have soft shell crab, topped with some creamy and spicy sauce. It is good, but the sauce does not match perfectly with the crab. It is hard to describe, but I would say it did not make much difference if I had the crab alone without the sauce. And I start wondering when will the signature Foie Gras come. Finally, it is here. Quite different from my expectation, it is is shaved to be the topping, covering canned leeches and brown sugar. It is very creative, but I prefer the classical way better. And the piece of brown sugar is so big, I kind of feel I am eating candies. Another highlight is the deep fried short ribs, rich in flavor, crispy outside and tender inside..

       The two desserts are the failures of the day. The sorbet is too sour, and the last dessert, ice cream with fried funnel cake. It is not a snack bar, and the presentation just looks weird. Anyway, we finally tried Momofuku. I really appreciate the way they present the dishes. Although I am not sure if I am coming back, it is definitely a place worth trying. 

 

My gourmet tastings started with 蛇王良, a very small and shabby eatery. As its name, the Sanke King, it sells very decent snake soup as well as some simple entries such as stewed lamb, fried rice etc. It was my first time to eat snake. Since it was stewed in the soup over hours, I could not tell the texture any more, but still felt like eel but not that tender. There were also some Chinese medcine in the soup so it  should be very nutritious.  The lamb stew was OK, very home style. Maybe it was what I should have expected here, the warm home made soup and rice, but not the splendid cuisine. I will give it 3.5 starts for the soup, 3 stars for the lamb, 1 star for the environment.

 

蛇王良

 

The second day in Hong Kong I had lunch with David at Superstar in Causeway bay. It was a renown seafood restaurants and famous for the fatty crab and stone fish. Unfortunately, it was not the crab season when I was there. We tried the special soup, steamed stone fish, some dim sum including stone fish roll, penguin dumplings and rabbit cotton candy. The stone fish looked very ugly and just like the reef. But I really enjoyed the taste, very fresh and tender with few bones. For the dim sum, they might be the best presentations of dim sum I have ever tried. The stone fish roll are made of stone fish and mango, very Malaysian style. The penguin dumplings and rabbit candy are all right so I do not think I will order them if coming back some time later. It cost ￥700 HK dollars in total, not a cheap lunch at all. I will give 4 stars for the fish, 3.5 stars for the dim sum and 3.5 stars for service.

 

 

Hong Kong  (Jan 2009)

One of my friend from Hong Kong once said proudly, "Hong Kong is the No.1 modern city in the world with many skyscrapers, fashion malls and fine restaurants....", although I was not 100% convinced, it is interesting to go there to explore what happened after my last visit in 2002.  At the end of 2008, it came true.

The 6-day trip plan is as follows:

1. Fly from NYC to HK, stay at North Corner （北角）

2. Causeway bay （铜锣湾）

3. HKUST （科大）

4. Saigon （西贡），Tsim Sha Tsui （尖沙咀），Victoria Peak（太平山） and the Center （中环）

5.  Stanley(赤柱），Deep water bay（深水湾), stay at Tsing-yi (青衣）

6.  Lantau (大屿山)

 

Dining:

Although it is the said to be the heaven for eaters, I kind of felt disappointed. I had to admit I had really high expectation and compared them with the high level restaurant  I tried. But it still has some highlights such as Lung King Heen (龙景轩), Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant (全记)， Honeymoon Dessert (满记)，Superstar Seafood Restaurant (红星), and Prince of Bun. Most of time I was trying the Chinese restaurants there, and I realized that the standard for Chinese food in Hong Kong was authentic and traditional. Different from it, the mainland now has more creative dishes with many varieties.

Sightseeing:

The best impression is Hong Kong's night. The light show at Tsim Sha Tsui  is a must-see experience, way better than the light show in Luxor. The river, the light, and skyscrapers (the most distinguished one is Bank of China) altogether, performed a most fantastic and splendid show.

 

Then it is Victoria Peak, a romantic place to see the sun-set and night view. There is also a Madame-Tussauds at the peak featuring many Hong Kong stars such as Miriam Yeung, Kelly Chan, Twins etc.

 

I took a half-day taxi tour with Simon, since I had been to all the famous places, he took me to somewhere not listed on the travel guide. It is Stanley,  a western style town by the sea. I could not believe Hong Kong has a small and quiet town like those in the US. There is a farmer market, a board walk, and some historical building which was moved from the the center city by the English. Sami told me the British loved this place and they did not allow Chinese to step in, what a shame! I also found some historical pillars.

 

The last day I decided to go to Lantau to visit the largest Buda statue. I took the subway from Tsing-Yi and then switched to the bus to continue onto the mountain. It is the only undeveloped rural place in Hong Kong with many trees, farm lands and few people. For about 1.5 hours, I got to Po Lin Monastery (宝莲禅寺). Looking upforward from the mountain foot, the golden Buda Statue is gorgeously sitting in the sky with clouds around him. After climbing onto hundreds of steps, I got a closer look. His eyes are long and smiling, looks very gentle and nice, sitting on the lotus seat.

 

Shopping:

No trip to Hong Kong can complete without shopping. I wonder if it has the largest density of stores in the world. Fashions, jewelries, cosmetics, from low level to upper end, you can find anything in Hong Kong. But on the other hand, you can also find the similar staff in the States or China. I just can not understand: do you really need to go to Hong Kong for shopping?

 

Quebec City Dinning Guide

Due to the strong European influence, the Quebec cuisine features fine French dining and traditional Canadian local food. From hundreds of restaurants, we chose each from different categories, Café de la Paix,  Casse Crepe Breton, Saint-Amour and Aux Anciens Canadiens.

Café de la Paix

It is a classical French restaurant with a traditional French menu including Escargot, Frech lamb chop, orange duck and seafood. The food make you neither surprised nor disappointed. The environment is nice and romantic. I will give it 3 stars out of 5 for the food, 3.5 for the environment, and 3.5 for service.

 

Casse Crepe Breton

It is a popular Crepe place, people were waiting in line at lunch time to get in. It looks like a small cafe with a few seats and a bar. More interestingly, they make the crepe right in front of you. We tried the onion soup, ham and cheese crepe, mushroom and asparagus crepe. They are all fresh and delicious! If you want something light and casual, it is a good place!

 

Saint-Amour

This was the highlight of our trip! Voted No.1 romantic restaurant in Quebec City, it has a beautiful garden hiding inside. Imagine you are sitting inside a botanical garden, with the flowers and leaves hanging around you, is it like Eden? I have also been to One if by land, which claims to be the most romantic restaurant in New York City but can not be compared with here. My eyes opened big when I saw their menu as thick book, since most restaurants in the US only have a less-than-10-page menu with so limited selections. We ordered its signature dish, six-ways to enjoy foie gras, and a pre-fix menu with vegetable soup, veal and chocolate mousse cake. Everything is fantastic, especially six-ways to enjoy foie gras, which includes some creative inspirations such as foie gras cream brulee, foie gras truffles, etc. It is a four star dinning experience, so is the price. We spent 180 Canadian dollars for 2 people in total. So it is definitely not a place for every meal but for some special occasions.

          

Poutine

I can not finish this dinning review without mentioning Poutine, a snack in Quebec. It is just French fries with some meat sauce, and you can find it in any casual dinning places. It is heavy and rich in oil, but the taste is good.

We spent two days exploring Quebec city.  

景点攻略：

全区导览
　　概述
　　和宗教圣地耶路撒冷、罗马、埃及的金字塔相较，魁北克?以战争遗迹傲立于世。不过，遗留此地的可不是残骸废墟，而是做为防御工事而建的城墙壁垒，以及十七、八世纪的古老建物。市区至今仍被古老的城墙所围绕。来到旧城，你一定会对独特风格的建筑心醉不已，因为旧城的范围并不大，建议你可以采用步行的方式，踩着石砖，悠闲地漫步在这浪漫的城市中，体验魁北克市独特的法式风情。

分区导览
　　旧城区(Vieux-Quebec)
　　古城墙碉堡区 The Fortification
　　在魁北克市区里，近乎4.6公里的古老壁垒环绕着整座旧城，也是北美唯一被联合国教科文组织依「世界文物保护区」规划的城市。这座古老的防御性城墙筑于1957年，辉煌的历史岁月痕迹犹在，如今已是魁北克最著名的历史性建筑，游客可一路顺着城墙到城门，途中都有镶版文字解说，叙述着古城碉堡的由来与演变。

　　芳堤娜城堡饭店Chateau Frontenac
　　矗立在岬角峭壁上的芳堤娜城堡，建于1820年代，是上城区中最醒目的地标。青铜色的屋顶与砖红色外墙，建于1893年，城堡内共拥有613间客房。二次世界大战期间，加拿大总理麦肯奇、英国首相丘吉尔及美国总统罗斯福等盟国领袖，曾在此讨论诺曼底登陆计划，并召开联军会议。特殊的星形碉堡是它的著名设计，许多艺术家和作家被它美丽的建筑外型所启发，以它为名的画作、诗文更是不计其数，当地的艺术家称它为? 美洲的直不罗陀 ?！登上城墙边阳台可以眺望蜿蜒盘绕的圣罗伦斯河，并可以前往附近观赏艺术家群集的文艺街，感受二百年前的浪漫情景，或可以享受一杯法国浪漫咖啡的情调，漫游这个美丽的古城。

　　星形碉堡 Citadelle
　　位于钻石岬角(Cape Diamant)上，始建于1820年，历经超过30年的时间才建成，扼守圣罗伦斯河道咽喉，被公认为大英帝国最坚固的要塞之一。如果你是在夏天来到这里，可以到此观赏驻军的检阅及卫兵交换的传统仪式，这项仪式表演从6月24日至劳工节早上10点举行，除了下雨天 之外每天都有，须购票参观，大人加币5元，老人4元，青少年(7-17岁)2.5元。城堡内有一座皇家22e陆军团博物馆，是由旧的发电厂和陆军监狱所改建，馆内展示传统的兵器、火炮、制服、装饰、徽章，以及从17世纪到现在的文献。

　　战场公园(Parc-des Champs de Bataille)
　　星形碉堡右边有一片广大的丘陵，展示着18世纪残留下来的武器，并且竖立着纪念碑追悼战争殉难者，这里就是战场公园，又名亚伯拉罕平原。1759年英、法两军在此发生一场具有决定性的战争，法军在这场战役中打了败仗，从此魁北克市成为英国的殖民地。占地 250英亩的战场公园，视野辽宁，结合休闲、文化和历史，当春夏时分百花盛开，坐在碧绿草地上野餐，欣赏音乐会表演，实在很惬意。到公园里还可以参观魁北克博物馆(Musee du Quebec)，欣赏魁北克最好的艺术作品！展示精美的雕刻以及从印象派到抽象派的画作。此外，魁北克博物馆也经常举办世界知名艺术家的作品展览。

　　兵器广场与要塞博物馆
　　芳提纳克城堡饭店前的兵器广场(Place d'Arms)，有许多街头艺人在此表演，古色古香的广场很适合当作游览旧城的起点，无论是徒步的方式或是在此乘坐马车都是不错的选择。广场上有一座哥德式喷水池，以及有「新法兰西之父」之称的香普兰纪念碑。附近一栋建筑物的2楼就是袖珍的要塞博物馆 (Musee du Fort)，展示六次曾发生在魁北克的战事内容，有兴趣想要更进一步了解魁北克历史的游客可以来参观看看。
　　地址：圣安妮(Sainte Anne)街10号
　　门票：大人$6.25加币、老年人$5.25加币、学生$4.00加币。

　　魁北克圣母大教堂 Notre-Dame-de-Quebec Basilica-Cathedral
　　这座魁北克最大的教堂，也是北美(墨西哥以北)最古老的教堂，约有350年的历史，是一座华丽的巴洛克式大教堂，左右两个形状不同的尖塔是其最大的特色。因为曾遭受过好几次的火灾及地震，现在所看到的教堂是于1925年重新整修过的。教堂北边有魁北克神学院(Seminaire de Quebec)，以及旧拉发尔(Laval)大学。

　　国会大厦
　　国会大厦是魁北克市最具代表性的建筑之一。1877年始动工的国会大厦，虽然历史并不长，但其结合法国16世纪古典主义与现代感的设计，华丽的外观几可比拟欧洲的凡尔赛宫！从近乎100平方公尺的正四边形展开四翼，展现精致的法国文艺复兴式风格，充满独特的美感。大厦正面壁龛中立有22座铜像，纪念那些对魁北克有卓越贡献的人，别具历史意义。

　　郊区
　　奥尔良岛(lle d'Orleans)
　　从旧城区开车约15分钟越过一座桥后，就进入了奥尔良岛，欧洲人到达加拿大就是从这里开始发展的。在这里可以看到充满田园风味及展现魁北克历史的住家、农村、教堂，一路上还有美味可口的餐馆。来到这彷佛回到了1636年的魁北克，纯朴亲切的农庄主人会热情的招呼你，每逢盛产季节，还会邀请游客采摘草莓、玉米和苹果喔！

　　蒙特伦斯瀑布 Montmonency Fall
　　出了魁北克市东方约1公里处，就有一处不容错过的自然美景，那就是赫赫有名的蒙特伦斯瀑布，号称比尼加拉大瀑布还要高1.5倍的大瀑布，是圣罗伦斯河沿途中最主要的一个景点。瀑布是由蒙特伦斯河从83公尺高的山壁垂直落下所形成，观赏如此壮观的自然景观，保证让你印象深刻。到了冬天的时候，蒙特伦斯瀑布就更热闹了！结冰的瀑布只剩下细细的一条冰柱，十分新奇，时常有喜爱刺激的人到此攀爬。刺激的雪上摩托车在结冰的湖面上穿梭，而湖岸旁因瀑布落下激起的水气，掉下来后堆成馒头状的雪丘，是玩平底雪橇的最佳地点。邻近的公园内也有一些小景点值得游览，在瀑布旁有一间典雅建筑，是隶属于瀑布的法式餐厅，供应美味的法国料理及魁北克当地菜。

　　摩里斯国家公园 Maurice National Park
　　魁北克的自然景观也很吸引人，最特别的是魁北克心脏地带的摩里斯国家公园（Maurice National Park），自然纯净的小湖和蜿蜒清澈的小河，都是千万年来冰河的杰作。