Sai Kung is one of Hong Kong's most beautiful corners, and a haven for nature lovers or anyone who wants to get away from Hong Kong's crowded, hustle-and-bustle, overwhelming intensity (not to mention pure urban density!). We had out-of-town friends visiting us (it's been sooo nice to finally have visitors in Hong Kong again!), so we took them on a relaxing Saturday excursion to Sai Kung to see another face of Hong Kong.

11:45AM - Early Dim Sum "Brunch" on the Seaside

No one wanted an intense schedule (it's vacation, after all), so we took it easy. Leave home at 10:30AM, arrive in Sai Kung around 11:30AM. Since there were four of us, it made a lot of sense to just take a taxi there.

Especially on Saturdays, popular restaurants can get very, very crowded. We went to an old but good standby, Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant, which is right on the waterfront. It's not too far from the pier, so it's a convenient first stop. We arrived before 12PM, so we didn't have to wait for an outside table at all. It was awesome, sitting facing the water while dining on delicious dim sum.

The restaurant also has fish tanks full of all sorts of seafood that you can choose for them to cook. Since this was brunch (and we planned to hike in the afternoon), we took it easy and just enjoyed dim sum. There are a bunch of steamers at the front, and you just go up and select what you want.

1:15PM Take a Boat to Sharp Island

There are numerous small stands along the pier hawking boat rides to the nearby islands. The prices are all pretty reasonable, and I didn't see a huge price differential (~ HK$40 a ticket). We pretty much just walked up and down the pier and found out which one was leaving soon. It was easy to just buy tickets on the spot and hop on a boat. We took the Blue Flag Boats, which were fine.

There are many, many boats that go to Sharp Island or Hap Mun Bay Beach, two sides of the same island. You can hike from one location to the other, and then pick up another boat back to the mainland.

Hap Mun Bay Beach

We first took the boat to Hap Mun Bay Beach, a lovely secluded beach surrounded by lush green hills and beautiful crystal blue green water. If you bring a swimsuit, definitely spend some time on the beach.

If you're more of a hiker, there is also an excellent trail that goes from Hap Mun Bay Beach to the other side of Sharp Island, where the "pineapple bun" shaped rocks reside (more on that later).

The trail is beautiful, with endless views of the surround ocean and mountains.

I thought it was funny the park even set up these natural looking "selfie stands" for people to take photos.

Pineapple Bun Rocks

As we got closer to where the pineapple bun (菠蘿包) rocks were, we noticed that there were cute little pineapple bun themed signs and statues.

Hello stone pineapple bun man!

For reference, this is what a pineapple bun looks like. It's a classic Hong Kong bread, topped with a delicious crispy topping. This one is from Kam Wah Cafe in Mongkok, and it's delicious.

At the end of the hike we arrived at the other end where all the pineapple bun rocks were hanging out. These rocks have the same crackled surface as the pineapple buns, hence the name.

Sharp Island Tombolo

There is a tombolo over here, a thin strip of land that acts as a natural bridge connecting Sharp Island to another small island. When the tide is low you can walk across it.

Fishmongers on the Pier

Finally, we caught another boat back to Sai Kung Pier. At the pier, it's fun to watch live seafood hawkers selling seafood right off their boat to people standing at the pier above them.

They literally use this looooong stick to transact. Live seafood and money exchange hands all via this stick and basket. It's quite amusing to watch.

If you're a fan of beer, one last stop to make before heading out is The Bottle Shop. They have an amazing collection of craft beers from all around the world, including some extremely difficult-to-find bottles!

If you want to stay around for dinner, try Loaf On, which is an excellent Cantonese restaurant having 1 Michelin star.

Related Posts
Eating in Hong Kong during Covid Times
Lamma Rainbow Hong Kong - Seafood Dinner plus a Hike
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Day Trip to Tai O Fishing Village
Cheung Chau Island

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I've really gotten quite spoiled with the amount of fantastic Italian food that exists in Hong Kong. Another new one that opened during the pandemic (in 2022) is Testina Hong Kong. Testina arose out of a collaboration between a restaurant in Milan, Italy called Trippa Milano and ZS Hospitality in Hong Kong (Feuille, Hansik Goo, Whey).

Testina's unique aspect is its genuine focus on nose-to-tail dining, offering dishes made with veal tongue, beef tripe, chicken liver, chicken offal, bone marrow, and pig's head. Recommended in the Michelin Guide, the quality of the food is excellent, and it was certainly hard to book when it first opened.

Initial Thoughts - Testina

Tripe, veal tongue, and a chicken offal ragu, Testina Hong Kong keeps prices reasonable while offering excellent quality Italian food. Our first visit was really nice, and I'd totally come back again. Testina definitely has a warm and cozy feel, and the dishes are "home-style" yet creative at the same time. Offal is the star, and prominently used throughout the menu. However, if you don't like offal there's still plenty of options.

Testina Hong Kong
3F, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace,
Central, Hong Kong

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There are few things that attract me more than "vegetables take center stage", a tasting menu considered "a steal at €75" and the idea of a chef couple (Japanese and Argentina) guided by top training at Mirazur who still personally cook in the kitchen.

This is why we were drawn to Restaurant Virtus in Paris, which was described as such in the Michelin Guide (which also gives it 1 star, "high quality cooking, worth a stop!").

Founded by chefs Chiho Kanzaki and Marcelo Martin di Giacomo, a Japanese and Argentinian couple who met and trained at Mirazur, Virtus embodies influences from both regions, as well as all over the world. Currently, chef Frédéric Lorimier and Camille Gouyer (front of the house) run the establishment.

Amuse Bouches

Our meal began with a number of small "amuse" bites, starting with this delightful and refreshing peas tart.

Fish roe on top of cracker "pillows".

Bread

Nothing beats bread in France, and these freshly baked brioche rolls were crusty and delicious.

Starters

There was definitely some Japanese influence in this next course of amberjack, horseradish, yuzu rice, roasted red pepper, and radish.

The texture of the rice was excellent, and I loved the flavor of the soy vinaigrette.

The next course was a charred piece of artichoke served with confit tomatoes, a touch of lemon, basil, and a hard, salty cheese.

It came with a very flavorful artichoke sauce which was poured tableside.

Fish + Meat

The first "main course" was a seared white fish served with fresh peas, clam, and morel mushrooms. The flavor combination was perfect, the fish was super tender, and overall it was very well executed. Perhaps nothing particularly novel or super creative, but just very, very good.

The final meat course was pigeon, a classic but served with a delicious liver sauce. They even left the container of liver sauce so we could have more of it if we wanted.

The Cheese Course

Cheese is always a treat in Paris. We had 36-month aged comte, a goat cheese, a smoked cheese, and a blue cheese.

Desserts

A refreshing lemony sorbet (served in its own "shell") was our palate cleanser.

Our dessert was an unusual combinatino of fresh strawberries, strawberry sorbet, and celery (!).

We ended the meal with a shot of apple calvados.

Restaurant Virtus - General Thoughts

Virtus is a lovely restaurant that serves well-executed food in a warm and inviting atmosphere. Excellent execution, warm service, and overall we had a very nice evening. There's nothing groundbreaking in terms of flavors, but the food is very, very good.

We pre-booked a tasting meal so we were able to enjoy the special €75 price. At the time of this article (March 2023), the lunch tasting menu starts at €50 for 3 courses, while the dinner tasting menus are €100 for 5 courses and €135 for 7 courses. I'm not sure if those special prices we had enjoyed back in 2022 will be available anymore, now that we are this "post-pandemic" (not to mention rocky financial) world right now.

One item of caution: the restaurant is located near the bustling Aligre Market (a lovely food shopping destination) in an area normal Ubers are not allowed to drive (they will be fined). Our driver dropped us off a few blocks away and we had to walk to the restaurant. Similarly, when leaving the restaurant, our Uber driver picked us up a few blocks away.

Here is a REEL video that I made of our meal, which just gives you a different perspective and feel of the meal.

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A post shared by Jennifer Che (@tinyurbankitchen)

Restaurant Virtus Paris
29 RUE DE COTTE 75012 PARIS
09 80 68 08 08

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La Cucina dei Frigoriferi Milanesi is a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant that's a little off the beaten path. We had to take a car to reach this restaurant. It wasn't within walking distance of our hotel (which was located right in the center of the city next to the Duomo).

However, I was drawn to La Cucina dei Frigoriferi Milanesi because they promoted a "slow food" philosophy. More vegetables and seafood, some meat, but not a ton.

We were also blown away by the amazing value. The tasting menu is only 36 EUROS and includes bread, antipasto, a "primo" (pasta dish), and a "secondo" (meat dish), plus a dessert. The ambiance was warm and cozy, the service was good, the food was very tasty, and the price was incredible.

Certainly worth the car ride! Here's our tasting menu!

We started with a crispy saffron risotto (Milanese style!) "cake" topped with calamari, zucchini, and a lemon and herb sauce. Perfectly executed, light, and flavorful.

These Croquettes came with the restaurant's own housemade ketchup. They were perfectly fried (and delicious!), though I thought six croquettes was a lot for two people!

I was almost half full after this course.

The next "primo" course was a smaller portion. Pasta with a white meat sauce, was very tasty, and the texture of the pasta was excellent.

For the "Secondo", we had a pan seared duck breast with roasted pear, leeks, and duck jus. It was nicely executed.

We tried four different cheeses.

A simple dessert: gelato with chocolate "chips".

General Thoughts - La Cucina dei Frigoriferi Milanesi

La Cucina dei Frigoriferi Milanesi was a lovely place to relax after a long day of touring around Milan. The food was authentic, made with heart, high quality, and delicious! Prices seem like they are from another era. It's certainly worthy of its "Bib Gourmand" status, being a restaurant that has "good quality, good value".

La Cucina dei Frigoriferi Milanesi {book online}
Via Giovanni Battista Piranesi, 10, 20137 Milano, Italy

The post La Cucina dei Frigoriferi Milanesi - Milan appeared first on Tiny Urban Kitchen.

Even though we have been going to Southern California virtually every year to visit Bryan's parents, we typically stay closer to Orange County. As such, we have surprisingly NOT visited Los Angeles city proper much at all.

This time, we spent a fully week right in downtown LA near the Staple Center. Bryan had a conference there, so we had a chance to hang out in LA a bit.

Frankly speaking, I think I've gotten used to Hong Kong's walkable streets and excellent public transportation system. I wasn't as used to LA's driving culture, and having to hop into a car to go anywhere was a bit tough for me. Still, there are some places that are pretty walkable, including parts of Santa Monica and Beverly Hills.

We enjoyed a lovely modern Mexican meal at MÍRAME in Beverly Hills one weekend day after spending the afternoon visiting museums in Los Angeles.

General Thoughts - MÍRAME Beverly Hills

Mirame is a fun place to enjoy Mexican-inspired, creative dishes in one of the most glamorous cities in LA. It's not authentic Mexican by any means, but the food is tasty, and overall Mirame is a trendy, modern, and pleasant place to catch an enjoyable meal. I especially enjoyed the salmon skin chicharron, which I could dip in that fermented garlic aoili forever. I don't think I would make a special trip to Beverly Hills just to eat there, but I would certainly be happy to go again if I were in the area.

MÍRAME Los Angeles
419 N CAÑON DRIVE
BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90210

Other Posts in this Series (Some to be published in the next 1-2 weeks)

Traveling During Covid – Our Three Month Trip Around the World
Majordomo Los Angeles – Part of David Chang’s Momofuku Empire
Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary at Taco Maria (During Covid)
Daybird LA – Best Szechuan Hot Chicken
Playa Amor Los Angeles – Amazing Mole
MÍRAME Beverly Hills – Modern Mexican

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