Hana Sakazuki (Hong Kong)

Before we left Hong Kong, our friends took us to Hana Sakazuki which is very popular fine dining Japanese restaurant on island. Omakase was the order of the day.

The restaurant sources very high quality seafood and that was reflected in our meal. Uni (sea urchin) sushi was excellent. Our favourite was the progression of texture and flavours of toro sashimi. I also liked the choice of rice, udon or soba noodles at the end of the meal. And the super attentive service from the chef and waiting staff made the meal very enjoyable.

Details:
Hana Sakazuki 花盃
2/F, China Tai Ping Tower
8 Sunning Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
http://www.hanasakazuki.com

Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant (Hong Kong)

My friends treated me to Ah Yat Harbour View restaurant during my visit in Hong Kong. Attracted by the fame from his treatment of dried abalone, we went for a set menu consisting of the reputed abalone as well as other classic Cantonese delicacies.

The Ah Yat abalone has a unique tenderness on the inside accompanied by intense seafood flavours – unrivaled by other kind of seafood dishes. The shark fin soup (environmental issues notwithstanding) and fish maw were also very enjoyable. Coincide with the hairy crab season, we added a crab roe noodle dish which was a great treat.

Details:
Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant
29th Floor, iSquare
63 Nathan Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong

Café Madang at Maison Hermès Dosan Park (Seoul Korea)

As a fan of Hermes silk, I always like to pay a visit to the boutiques when travelling. Hermes opened its first Asian flagship store with a café in Seoul. So we paid a visit during our stay.

Café Madang is situated at the lower ground of the Hermes boutique, adjacent to a museum with some historic Hermes product (highly recommended for a half hour browse if you are into luxury goods). We ordered a couple of desserts for morning tea. The dishes were beautifully presented, and dining in Hermes cutleries was rather a unique experience.

Details:
Café Madang
Maison Hermès Dosan Park
Dosan Park 630-26
Shinsa-dong Gangnam-gu
135-895 Seoul
http://stores.hermes.com/Asia/South-Korea/Seoul/Hermes-Dosan-Park

Bamboo House (Seoul Korea)

Going to an authentic Korean BBQ was on top of the to-do list in our visit to Seoul. We went all-out and visited Bamboo House, considered a high-end Korean restaurant by many reviews and guides.

The restaurant serves beef of excellent quality. Note that Korean beef is not exported to other countries and its marbling rivals that of Japanese Wagyu. At Bamboo House, the beef is cooked at the grill by the staff in front of you, making the experience more enjoyable. You will pay a premium price, as did many celebrities with their photos on the main wall.

Details:
Bamboo House
658-10 Yeoksam-dong
Gangnam-gu
Seoul, South Korea
http://www.bamboohouse.or.kr/

Olio (St Leonards)

The family has chosen to dine at Olio on a few occasions due to its central location. Here we were again for a quick dinner.

The menu seems to blend various flavours and dishes across the Mediterranean. The mezze plate gave us a good start of the meal with its mix of tastes from the region. However, the trout pasta dish was a bit underwhelming – more trout may help perhaps?

Details:
Olio
Shop 1, 'The Forum'
St Leonards Station
Sydney 2065
http://www.olio.com.au

Guillaume at Bennelong (Sydney)

For my birthday, the wife took me to Guillaume at Bennelong inside the Sydney Opera House. Given its pending closure end of year, we would make it our ‘farewell’ visit.

The service was immaculate from the start and the food certainly matched its 3-hat status. The squid ‘pasta’ entrée with sea urchin sauce was intense with seafood flavor. The signature mulloway rouille dish was superb, but the very tender lamb was even better. And you wouldn’t go wrong with the chocolate soufflé or nougat glace for desserts.

Looking forward to its re-opening at another venue!

Details:
Guillaume at Bennelong
Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
http://guillaumeatbennelong.com.au/

Your Place Dining (North Sydney)

Catching up with friends on a Friday night, we decided to stay local and went to Your Place Dining. The restaurant operates as a café during the day and a fine dining Thai restaurant at night.

We always judge our Thai restaurant by the duck red curry. This particular one did not disappoint offering a generous portion of duck with nice, thick gravy. Do try the salmon soufflé for entrée which gives an interesting texture for a fish dish – I liken it to an hybrid of fish ball and marshmallow.

Details:
Your Place Dining
182 Blues Point Rd
Corner Blues Point Road and Victoria Street
McMahons Point
http://yourplacedining.com.au

Balla (Sydney)

We walked around Darling Harbour and decided to have an early dinner at The Star casino complex. After comparing menus, we settled on Balla for their pre-theatre menu (even we were not watching a show).

The pre-theatre menu was good value with 3 courses for just $55. The vegetable soup with black truffle was simple and fragrant. And the cheese crepe and pasta main courses were satisfying.

Details:
Balla
Level G, Harbourside
The Star
80 Pyrmont Street 
Pyrmont
http://www.star.com.au/sydney-restaurants/signature-fine-dining/Pages/balla.aspx

Cafe Sopra (Sydney)

We had a quick dinner catch up with friends after work at Café Sopra. Despite being a Tuesday night, the dining room was packed with a queue at the door – so be ready for wait unless you go early.

There was a great array of pizza and pasta dishes. The quattro formaggi pizza that we shared was excellent. I really enjoyed the generous meat ball pasta dishes, while the osso buco was not as rich and flavourful as I wished.

Details:
Café Sopra at Fratelli Fresh
11 Bridge Street
Sydney
http://www.fratellifresh.com.au/

Silk & Spice (Abu Dhabi)

Other than dining at the buffet while staying at the Sofitel Abu Dhabi, my other ‘go-to’ restaurant was the Silk & Spice Thai restaurant.

I found the dishes serviced at Silk & Spice to be very authentic. The prawn pad thai and salmon red curry were my favorites. From my conversation with the chef, the ice-cream served in the desserts were all homemade – something worth trying if you are still peckish at the end of the meal.

Details:
Silk & Spice
Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche
Corniche Road East Capital Plaza, Abu Dhabi
http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-7507-sofitel-abu-dhabi-corniche/index.shtml#./restaurant.shtml

Corniche All Day Dining (Abu Dhabi)

I stayed at the Sofitel in my 2 weeks in Abu Dhabi and many of my meals were eaten inside the hotel. To avoid waiting after a long day in the office, I usually headed straight to the Corniche buffet on the ground floor.

3 things I want from a buffet – roast tray that is not dried, 2 kinds of hot food that is well done, and high quality desserts. The Corniche has all of that. The roast chicken is succulent. And the array of curry dishes was authentic and flavourful. And there was the French patisserie like dessert cart…

Details:
Corniche All Day Dining
Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche
Corniche Road East Capital Plaza, Abu Dhabi
http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-7507-sofitel-abu-dhabi-corniche/index.shtml#./restaurant.shtml

Hakkasan (Abu Dhabi UAE)

I need my occasional Chinese food fix during business trip. So while in Abu Dhabi (among the delicious meals of falafel and hummus), I have decided to visit Hakkasan restaurant in the luxurious Emirates Palace Hotel.

Being an international high-end restaurant chain, Hakkasan has a menu that gravitates towards Cantonese cuisine. I ordered the tea-smoked chicken, gai lan (Chinese broccoli) in oyster sauce and a fried rice. The food was well executed with the dried scallops and crab meat adding sophistication in the fried rice. Simple food with a touch of luxury – reflected by an expensive bill.

Details:
Hakkasan Abu Dhabi
Emirates Palace
West Corniche Road
Abu Dhabi
UAE

http://hakkasan.com/abudhabi/

Uncorked (North Sydney)

For our pre-wedding photoshoot, we invited our photographer to dine with us at Uncorked in The Union Hotel in North Sydney.

The dining room was rather quiet on the night of dinner which was great for us to talk over the details of our wedding plans. All the dishes were consistently good – from my smoked pig cheek starter to the tender wagyu steak. My fiancé’s foie gras salad starter was also interesting. I also enjoyed chocolate terrine dessert which had the right mix of textures.

Details:
Uncorked Restaurant at The Union Hotel
Corner Pacific Hwy & West Street
North Sydney NSW 2060
http://www.unionhotel.com.au/uncorked

Pei Modern (Melbourne)

On the final night of my business trip in Melbourne, I treated myself to Pei Modern for dinner. I was quite excited given it was a while since I visited its big brother Marque in Sydney.

The steak tartare was well seasoned and I loved the use of ‘potato chips’ instead of the usual toast. The chicken dumplings casarecce pasta was prepared the risotto way. The sauce was creamy in texture and intense with chicken stock flavour. The dish made me a convert in making the pasta this way.

Details:
Pei Modern
Collins Place
45 Collins Street
Melbourne
http://www.peimodern.com.au

Shoya (Melbourne)

On a cold rainy night in Melbourne, we dined at Shoya. And fittingly we decided to enjoy some yakiniku next to a hot grill.

The choice of meat included in the set menu was excellent. The wagyu beef had great marbling. We particularly enjoyed the sausages. On top of the yakiniku set, we ordered a piece of toro sushi each for starters. It was melt-in-your-mouth excellent.

Details:
Shoya
25 Market Lane
Melbourne 3000
http://www.shoya.com.au/

Flower Drum (Melbourne)

Lunch at Flower Drum was my most anticipated meal on the weekend in Melbourne. As I have heard of its legendary Cantonese cuisine, served fine dining style, for many years.

Baked crab shell was the first dish and captured the essence of an entire crab in the shell with a creamy sauce. Watching the humble rice noodle roll served in a fine dining setting was quite an experience (it tastes the same though). Stir fry noodles with angus beef was of high quality – the noodles did not stick and the dish worked nicely with high quality beef.

Details:
Flower Drum
17 Market Lane
Melbourne
http://www.flower-drum.com