Grounded, on my birthday...

I was visiting Japan. Weather was as expected, very cold but still manageable. On most days, there was bright sun during day time. I asked a Japanese friend of mine whether does it ever snow in January, to which he answered, "Yes, but pretty uncommon."

Imagine my surprise and my delight when I discovered it was snowing as I prepared to go to the airport for my flight home. It was not even 6a.m. yet and the sky was still dark. As I went out of the hotel to get into my cab, I initially thought that it was drizzling. But only when I felt something soft but wet falling on my face did I realize that it wasn't rain, but snow! I thought, "How special! Uncommon that it is, it actually snowed on my birthday!" Throughout the journey to the airport, I was admiring the scenery along the roadside. There's something very beautiful and serene about snow-covered trees, bushes and the general open area.

Alas, I discovered that this snow was both a special blessing as well as bad luck for me at the airport. The snow was getting heavier and heavier by the time I reached the airport. When I finally boarded the plane, I thought to myself, thank God I'm already onboard and ready to fly home. Otherwise, even getting to the airport might be a problem due to road condition.

Snowfall getting heavier at about 8+a.m.

However, the relief was short-lived. When seated and buckled, the captain made a sudden announcement informing us that the 'machine' that was supposed to perform the compulsory de-icing procedure on the aircraft had broken down and we had to wait in queue for the other working machine for approximately 3.5hrs. 3.5hrs sound pretty long right? I thought so too but it was nothing compared to 9 hours; and that was the actual total waiting time. Yep, 9 long hours stucked in a plane that was grounded while we wait for the $*^#! machine to come to our aircraft. We weren't allowed to go back on ground except for a mini 30-minute break. God must have taken pity on me for when I was about to go crazy after watching almost every watchable in-flight movie as well as finishing a novel and a magazine, and basically watching the world outside my tiny window from the aircraft turned from dark to light and to dark again, the machine finally came. Within an hour, we were finally off.

Snow gathered on my tiny window.
Still, I missed my connecting flight home via Hong Kong when I reached Hong Kong 9 hours behind my scheduled arrival time. The airline did their part by providing hotel accommodation for the night at the very nice Regal Airport Hotel and meal vouchers. I finally laid my head to rest after a long and tiring day (sans baggages aka clean clothes and skin care) about 30 minutes past my birthday.

This is surely one birthday that I would not forget, for the wrong reasons....

Other knick-knacks from Japan

Some other food-related knick-knacks from Japan:


Sweet Potato Mini Snack
The Japanese seems to have thought of everything. This little snack is convenient and tastes good too!


Kit Kat (Special Edition - Sakura)
Ooh, I am such a sucker of nice packaging and I think the box is absolutely adorable. It tasted like Kit Kat in White Chocolate with a slight hint of sourish plum. Nice!!!


Diet Beer
Yay for those weight-concious people. Only about 1/2 to 1/3 calories of those normal beer. To me, it tasted something like 'Shandy' minus the lemonade taste.


My baking-related loot from the 100Yen shop.
All of the items below costs only 100yen each. They include cookie cutters in cute designs, mini stainless steel loaf tin, edible gold dusts, and Japanese glutinous rice flour for making mochi. These stuff would easily costs a least double the price here in Malaysia.

Tokyo Eats

Reporting the culinary part of my recent trip to Tokyo.

Breakfast
Where: Shinjuku Prince Hotel
Was delighted to discover quite a variety of breakfast offerings. However, delight quickly turned into boredom when the exact same dishes were repeated everyday throughout my stay there.

Salad with Pineapple & Grapefruit slices topped with Fresh Yogurt.

Plain Congee topped with Preserved Vege. In the background are Miso Soup and Soft-boiled Eggs Japanese-style.

A variety of Japanese pickled vegetables.

More offerings...

Snacks and Pastries

Yogurt
Yogurt in Japan really does seems to taste better, even those low-fat ones. Creamy and thick. Highly recommended!


Candied Sweet Potato Sticks coated with sesame seeds
Very nice to munch when feeling hungry from walking too much.


Belgian Waffles from Manneken (I hope I got the spelling right)
I discovered this during my visit to Japan last year so I made it a point to stop-by again this time. This shop is in Ginza. They have special flavours introduced for a limited time only. This time, the special flavour was Green Tea (much to my delight!). Seriously good!

Advertisement introducing the special flavour.

An-pans with various fillings from Kimuraya Bakery
I was informed that Kimuraya is famed for its mini an-pans in various feelings. True enough, the original shop in Ginza was very crowded when I was there. I had the chance to sample a few and bought a few. My favourites are:

With Yuzu Orange filling,
as well as chestnut filling, pear filling, green bean filling and the classic azuki beans (red beans) filling.

Ads for the famous an-pans.
I later discovered that I didn't have to travel all the way to Ginza for there's this cute little van that sells Kimuraya an-pans just in front of my hotel in Shinjuku.



Chocholate Truffles from Pierre Marcolini Chocolatier
Japanese, I noticed do know how to appreciate the finer things in life, including food. Just check out all the world-renown and exclusive brandnames and makers of sweets, chocolates, pastries among others in the food hall of major departmental stores.

However, this shop is located in exclusive Ginza. They have two adjoining shops, one selling ice-creams and the other, chocolate truffles. And these little precious are a real sight to behold. After some difficult contemplation, I finally decided on these 2 jewels:

The Lait (Earl Grey) and Coeur Framboise (Raspberry coated White Chocolate with Dark Chocolate Center).
Do I really need to go through the length to describe how fantastic these were? Despite costing quite a bomb, one bite and you will never regret buying them. I would have also tried the ice-cream next door if not for the near freezing temperature of a typical evening in the winter month of January in Tokyo. I was half-afraid that I will freeze my tongue upon contact with the ice-cream *LOL*.

Omochi and Sweet Potato Pie

These 2 are standard fares in Japanese desserts. The pie is rather sweet with a strong cinnamon scent that I wasn't too keen on. As for the Omochi, I chose one coated with endamame (sp?) or soybean powder with classic azuki beans filling. Quite a unique flavour, I would say.


Mini slices of Cakes from Q.E.D Patisserie
As mentioned earlier, Japanese are big on sweets and pastries. One will be spoilt for choice when entering into a food hall in a Japanese departmental store. I bought this from Q.E.D Patisserie.

Caramel Walnut Cake and Orange Cake

More Cakes

Chocolate Hazelnut Chiffon Cake
The above was from a little cafe in Ginza where I hopped in to find temporary shelter from the chilly weather. There was one last piece left on the counter and I quickly snapped it up. But it looked nicer than it tasted though. I found it rather dry and the flavour, unexciting.
However, the same cafe serves very good White Chocolate Latte that seems to be just the right answer to a chilly weather.


Strawberry Cheesecake from The Cheese Cake Cafe

Aside from the big and luscious strawberries, this cake was nothing to shout about. Although still nice, it will not blow your mind. In fact, I find the cheese rather mild-tasting.


Taro Balls
Truly delish!

Main Meals

Pumpkin Salad
I got this from a supermarket outlet. It looked so beautiful and I love pumpkins! True enough, the roasted pumpkin slices were so delicious. A light and refreshing meal.

Rice Burger & Dessert at MOS Burger

I know MOS burger is available in KL (unless they have closed down) but don't seem to recall the local outlets serving this. Instead of the usual sesame buns, seafood & vege tempura is sandwiched in between 2 layers of lightly pan-fried buns made entirely of rice. Ichiban!

And so is their dessert offering. Something known as Frozen Cake Bar, I chose the Green Tea and Red Beans flavour. Tasted more like an ice-cream bar but seriously good.

Their latest offering.

Japanese Curry Rice (near the east exit of Shinjuku JR Station, at the crossroad)

What you do is select your choice and buy a ticket for your choice at the vending machine outside the restaurant. Then you go in and hand over your token to the waiter and find a vacant stool for yourself at the counter. Within minutes, your meal will arrive with a complimentary miso soup on the side.

Sushi from Sakurasusi (outside Shinjuku Prince Hotel)

Tuna

Grilled Eel

Salmon Roe topped with Bonito flakes

More Tuna

Nato (sp?) or Japanese Fermented Beans with Raw Quail's Egg (Definitely not for the faint-hearted)

Yam Balls boiled in sweet soy sauce
And surprisingly, the total for the entire meal was less than RM24. Rather cheap, isn't it?

Best Seafood Dinner
I was treated to a very good Japanese Seafood dinner by a very good Japanese acquaintance of mine. Although there was just 2 of us. he was very generous when ordering.
(Sorry, pictures are slightly dimmed and blurred because I forgot to turn on the flash).

Japanese Clams cooked in broth
They tasted really different from Malaysian's la-la. Sweet, plump and juicy; and the broth was real tasty too! Not one drop was left in my bowl.

Japanese Raw Oysters
I think these are the biggest oysters I have ever seen. And they tasted so fresh and juicy too!

Grilled Giant Prawns
Oo-la-la!

A selection of fresh sashimi
Always my favourite!

Dipping sauce. Aside from the standard wasabi, another alternative is to mix these herbs (leaves & flowers) to the soy sauce - as taught by my Japanese friend.

Nabe (Japanese Steam boat with raw thin beef slices and a plate of fresh seasonal vegetables)

Raw Beef Slices (2 dipping sauces provided, soy sauce and sesame sauce)

The hot pot

A Traveller's Guide to HK Eats (snacks)

Here's a rough guide to some quintessential HK snacks while in HK:

Roasted Sweet Potato ("Ooi Fang Shue")
Where: Roadside

During cooler season (and sometimes available during summer too), you will find people selling roasted sweet potato from their roadside carts. How do you find one? You will know if there's one in the vicinity, the smell is unmistakenly sweet and delicious. There are usually 2 options available, orange flesh or purple flesh. The former is sweeter but the latter is more fragrant. The one seen above is of the orange flesh variety. I am not sure how they roast/bake it by the outer layer is caramelized, resulting in a even more sweet and delicious taste.

Vegetarian Snacks
Where: A Vegan Restaurant located in Jordan.
Ok, these are not "must-eats" in my opinion, but when I passed by the restaurant and saw that they have a separate stall selling these snacks, I got curioused.

Clockwise from left: Black Sesame Jelly Roll (quite good); Deep-fried Yam slices (overly oily and not much taste); Chinese chives in crytal dumpling (I have had better ones); Coconut sweet dumplings with Lotus paste (now, this was good..)

Macau-style Pork Chop in Crispy Buns
Where: Macau Restaurant in TST

Widely available in HK, this version is slightly different in a sense that the buns were crispy (probably pan-fried first). I saw many patrons in the restaurant (it's a popular restaurant with a queue forming outside most of the time) enjoying this but when I had it, I couldn't help but wished that I had a bottle of chilli sauce that I could smother the pork chops. Otherwise, they were pretty bland. Fortunately, the redeeming grace was found in their Macau-style Iced-Coffee and Portugese Egg Tarts (see review below).

Egg Tarts
Where: Macau Restaurant and Honolulu Coffee Shop in WanChai
Now, egg tarts are must-haves especially with a cup of "nai-cha" (milk tea) or coffee. Usually available in 2 types, basic egg tarts and Portugese egg tarts.

Portugese Egg Tart

Bitten

Best Egg Tart

I had the former in Macau Restaurant. They also have it in Egg White version but unfortunately, it wasn't available on that night when I was there. Anyway, this version is very good. You can see that the filling was silky smooth. It was very rich and yummy. There was a hint of condensed milk and coconut milk in there but I could be wrong. This egg tart will totally blow your diet plans far away but it was worth every bite.
The plain egg tart pictured above is my favourite egg tart in HK (so far) from Honolulu Coffee Shop. The custard is silky smooth and the pastry just melts in your mouth. It really does! Go try it if you have the chance!

Other famous HK pastries ("Por Lor Pau"-Pineapple Buns; "Tan Kow"-Egg Balls; "Nai Yao Tor"-Butter Toasts with condensed milk; and Mango "Loh Mai Chi")
Where: Coffee shop opp. Yung Kee Roast Goose in Central / Honolulu Coffee Shop / Hui Lang San Dessert Shop

This tastes like a lighter and a more airy version of doughnuts, almost like choux pastry dusted in sugar but not quite. Best consumed while still warm. You can also request a warm one from the waiter.

Another must-have with your cup of milk tea or coffee, this is one of the (if not the most) popular buns in the whole of HK. And the one pictured above is my favourite. It has a crusty top but the inside is soft with a lingering but not overpowering scent of pineapple. Another option is to have it with butter. Again, this is best consumed warm.


Another favourite breakfast food for me while in HK is the "Nai Yao Tor" (with a good cup of Nai Cha or Coffee of course). Try it and you will see why it is so addictive.

Known as "Mango Loh Mai Chi" (Glutinous Rice Dumplings with Mango filling and coated with coconut), this is a favourite dessert of mine in HK. Sold in the popular chain of dessert shop called Hui Lang San found almost everywhere in HK, I made it a point to have this each time I am in HK.

Congee (Pork & Century Egg Congee)
Where: Coffee shop opp. Yung Kee Roast Goose in Central

Porridge or congee is no doubt one of the quintessential comfort food in HK. The Hong Ki's are particularly good in cooking their porridge. To me, their version is not like any of the version that can be found here in Malaysia. I do not know how else to describe it except that you can taste that it has been slow-cooked over low-fire for quite a number of hours. For someone like me who was having a very bad sinus on that day, it provided the ultimate heart-warming and stomach-filling meal. Ichiban!

Cheong Fun ("Sam Sek Fan" - Steamed Rice Rolls with 3 fillings: Char siew (roast pork), roast goose and shrimps)
Where: King of Congee & Noodles @ Airport

Verdict: Not bad but pricey at HKD38.00.

TongShui (Sweet Soup)
Where: Tong Shui shop in Causeway Bay (near Times Square)
This shop serves a variety of home-cooked tong shui. It is a very small shop so seating may be a problem. You will be able to see pots of tongshui at the front of the shop as you enter with a lady manning them.

Steamed Egg White & Fresh Milk with Walnut Paste filling.
Silky smooth and the walnut paste in the center was very good too! Nutritious and heart-warming.

Green Bean Soup with Chinese Herbs and Seaweed.
I tried this because it was the first time I have come across this unique combination. Erm, I think I will just stick back to my mom's green bean soup. This combination tastes quite similar to those Chinese Herbal beverage.

Beverages (Local Favourites and mine as well)

Nai Cha (Milk Tea)
Found at almost every eatery in HK. The above was from Honolulu Coffee Shop.

Iced Coffee, Macau-style
This is a new discovery. Sweet (but not overly), strong and potent, this drink delivers quite a kick! See the generous sprinkles of coffee granules meant as toppings!

"Leng Mat" (Lemon Honey)
I totally rave about this drink (the above was from the coffee shop in Central mentioned above). Nice and refreshing. Also a good remedy for anyone with a mis-behaving nose. If you wish, you can also ask for extra slices of lemon.