Breakfast at The Pen

Scrambled eggs in between thick slices of bread for breakfast at The Peninsula

Ah breakfast. The essential meal to start of the day.

What better place to indulge in breakfast than the Lobby of the Peninsula Hong Kong.

A relative was staying at the Sheraton and I suggested we meet across the street at the iconic hotel with 90 years of history.

The breakfast menu has a lot of choice, but can be expensive, with a full breakfast costing over HK$300! You could also have congee with pork spare ribs and preserved vegetables, granola, instant noodles with meats -- a kind of glorified cha chaan teng dish.

French toast using brioche bread was on the menu -- I should try that next time!

In the end I settled for New Zealand scrambled eggs sandwich. It arrived, with the crusts cut -- please don't! -- and very yellow eggs in between the white bread that had butter slathered on them.

The egg sandwich also came with three slices of cucumber and two of tomato...

This was definitely an indulging egg sandwich -- how many eggs were used to make it?! Nevertheless the bread was soft and buttery, the eggs quite fluffy too. Needless to say with a cup of latte it was a nice breakfast to catch up and enjoy the moment.

However, when we walked outside, it was pouring rain! Luckily I had a small umbrella and escorted my relative across the street to her hotel and then went on my way.

Local Celebrity Sighting!

My friend with actor Chow Yun-fat at the Tai Po Cooked Market Centre

This morning I woke up at 6.30am to get to Tsim Sha Tsui East for an assignment. A small group of people and I were accompanying a chef to Tai Po Market in the New Territories as he bought some vegetables and seafood; afterwards he would go back to the restaurant to prepare lunch for us to eat.

For me going to Tai Po has memories -- I spent seven years commuting to the Industrial Estate for work, but hardly ever went to the Tai Po market. I only went once to the area to have the best roast goose I have ever had -- unfortunately that place closed so I never went back there again!

Anyway, we arrived around 9.20am and the Tai Po Market is a giant modern and clean complex near the MTR station. On the top floor is the cooked food centre and that's where we had some breakfast. We ate some pork chop buns, deep-fried fish fillet buns, and dim sum.

Chow having a chat with the chef

While we were eating, a woman we were with had a phone call and walked away to take it. She didn't come back for a long time but when she returned, she excitedly said actor Chow Yun-fat walked right by her and waved!

He seems to be everywhere these days -- people have reported sightings of him at 7am in a cha chaan teng in Kowloon City, in Mui Wo, and on the MTR.

One of the organizers of our field trip excitedly went off on a search for him and we told her to come back with him, but a while later she came back alone! She said he was swarmed by fans and she asked him to come by our table. Would he? Did he know how to find us?

Sure enough a few minutes later, a tall man in all black with a baseball cap, sunglasses, black top, shorts and leggings showed up. We were in the midst of getting up when he motioned to us to sit down, not wanting to cause a commotion.

But onlookers were thrilled to see him and huddled around our table. Chow was introduced to the chef -- the actor didn't seem to believe he was one until a name card was produced. Suitably impressed Chow told us to gather round for a wefie.

He didn't like where I was standing and instructed me to stand to his left and I quickly obeyed. Soon he took three pictures, gave back our smartphone and he left as quickly as he came.

We hadn't even gone grocery shopping yet and already had a massive celebrity sighting!

After I posted the picture on social media, it went wild with lots of comments saying "lucky you!" and "so jealous!"

We really were lucky! And we had a really fun excursion and delicious lunch too!

I'm glad to have a fun memory of Tai Po instead of just that one-and-a-half hour commute there and back everyday for seven years!

Power Breakfast

Jetrho's is practically an institution in Vancouver for its breakfast portions

There's a restaurant that's infamous for its massive breakfast portions and that's Jethro's Fine Grub on Dunbar and 18th Avenue, and another location on Fraser Street. There are less than 30 seats in the Dunbar place, and the eatery doesn't take reservations so loyal fans are willing to stand outside and wait, and wait and wait.

My plate of two eggs, chorizo, hash browns and rye toast

My friend and I arrived around 10am on Saturday and there was already a line there. We put our name down on the clipboard and waited for about 20 minutes before our name was called.

To save time, my friend suggested I study the menu so that we could order as soon as we sat down. I chose two eggs and meat (CAD$10), with the eggs over easy and chorizo sausage with rye toast and hash browns.

My companion picked chicken fried steak (CAD$15), that was battered then fried, topped with country gravy, hash browns, two eggs and toast.

I suggested getting a side of pancakes to try, but when we sat down at our table, my friend told me to look to my right at the next table. They had two pancakes (CAD$5) but they were as large as the plate itself! I decided it was better to be conservative and just try to finish my own breakfast order.

Giant banana pecan caramel pancakes!

When our food arrived, we had a mountain of food to tackle. It was definitely grub at a very reasonable price that filled you up quickly. I powered through, but in hindsight would have preferred smoked bacon or sausage instead of the chorizo that was very oily and spicy. Nevertheless, the giant plate of food hit the spot, and I got peanut butter to slather on my buttered rye toast.

As for the chicken fried steak, my friend had no trouble devouring it and cleaned up her plate. The chicken had a delicious crunchy crust on the outside, tender inside. How she managed to eat the entire plate of food I don't know, but there was nothing left.

Chicken fried steak with hash browns and eggs

The diners next to us with the giant pancakes had to pack the leftovers home, and many other customers did the same. You can't be too ambitious in this restaurant -- ordering too much could be the death of you.

Afterwards we walked around downtown and still weren't hungry until dinnertime! Definitely fills you up for the whole day.

Jethro's Fine Grub

3420 Dunbar Street

Vancouver
(604) 569 3441

jethrosfinegrub.com

Egg Dishes at Catch

Two poached eggs with smashed avocado on toast at Catch on Catchick

Friends ask me what's good to eat around my neighbourhood but honestly I don't really know because I don't eat out much in the area. As I eat out a lot for work, I'd rather just have a simple meal (ie bland) at home.

But this past weekend a good friend from Beijing stayed overnight and wanted to take me out for breakfast before she made the trek back to Shenzhen airport by 2pm. That meant eating the first meal of the day at around 9.30am.

We headed to Catch on Catchick, which is open for breakfast at 9am and when we got there, a few people were already eating. We took the table by the sidewalk so we could do some people watching while we ate.

Dirty eggs is a hearty option that was also spicy

The breakfast menu looked really solid with many items we wanted to try. In the end we decided to share two egg dishes, avocado on toast with poached eggs (HK$128), and a dish called "dirty eggs", featuring fried eggs with paprika potatoes, avocado, chipotle mayo, melted Cheddar cheese and kidney beans (HK$148)

It's a good thing we shared because the dirty eggs dish was a lot for one person. The avocado on toast with two poached eggs was a very healthy option, and we liked the crusty bread that was used to mop up the runny egg yolk.

Dirty eggs was a spicy option -- a bit more spicier than I expected -- and much heartier. Everything went well together, from the melted Cheddar cheese and avocado with fried potato chunks and more runny eggs. After polishing off these two dishes, we were very full!

Price-wise these breakfast dishes are a bit more on the expensive side, but they kept us fueled for most of the day.

Catch on Catchick

93 Catchick Street

Kennedy Town
2855 1289

Super Healthy Breakfast at abcV

A soft by otherwise delicious dosa with yoghurt and greens

When in New York, there's not only sightseeing and show watching, but also lots of dining.

One place we were very curious to try was abcV, a vegetarian restaurant opened by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

I met him in Hong Kong a few months ago and when I asked him about abcV, he told me about the menu, and boasted the restaurant had "the best congee in New York City".

The restaurant's interior is sparse yet very modern

When a gweilo chef claims he has the best congee in town you have to check it out, right?

My New York-based friend made a reservation for July 4 for breakfast -- and we were told the only time available was 9.30am sharp, even though breakfast is served until 10.30am.

So we arrived a bit earlier than the appointed time -- no traffic because of the public holiday -- and hardly anyone in the restaurant either. We could have come at 10am... or did the staff forget it's a public holiday?

The decor is quite sparse -- a white modern room with a mish mash of chandeliers suspended from the ceiling, a bakery at the front, and kitchen at the back.

We noticed the pieces of cutlery were all different -- a kind of eclectic hipsterish feel that's kind of artsy, which is what the crowd was mostly made of, except for us.

Poached eggs and mushrooms underneath

The menu lists dishes that sound super good for you. Coincidentally the New York Times had tried the restaurant and the review came out just before we went, but I didn't read it until afterwards.

We agree with the assessment that the atmosphere is quite pretentious, but the reviewer showed the menu to a dietician, who proclaimed the dishes really were healthy -- though the portions were on the delicate side.

One of the first dishes we shared was the dosa with yoghurt, avocado and sprouts (US$14). It arrived in a beautiful presentation, but we have to say the dosa was hardly crunchy, but thinner than a pita bread texture. We liked the combination of yoghurt and avocado.

A winner was the wild mushrooms with poached farm eggs, shallots and herbs (US$15). How can you go wrong with runny yolks that explode onto the meaty mushrooms like a comfort sauce?

Testing out the congee dish with six condiments to choose

So the congee, or as listed on the menu: forbidden rice and millet congee with savoury condiments (US$10) that included pickled mushrooms, ginger, ponzu sauce, finely sliced nori, chilli sauce and spring onions.

The congee itself wasn't white, but more pinky brown thanks to the black rice, though it was more savoury than sweet. We threw in a bit of each of the condiments and they certainly perked up the congee. It was also quite a shallow bowl, so we savoured each bite (and more dosa), and sides like kale and potatoes.

In the end we were full, but not overwhelmingly so, which is probably the point -- portions are everything and just feeling sated is probably healthiest too.

Would we come back? Probably for lunch, not dinner.

abcV

38 East 19th Street

New York
(212) 475 5829

www.abchome.com/eat/abcv/

Miscellaneous Items on the MTR

Walking onto the MTR train, you don't know what you'll see on your commute

Hong Kong's MTR is arguably the most efficient form of public transport in the world. Not only is it a fast network, but also very clean, thanks to its policy of not eating drinking.

However there are people who violate this rule, many non-Chinese carrying takeaway coffee cups to help them wake up before going to work, while locals carry water bottles or juice.

MTR staff have seen people eat fast-food breakfasts on the train, and even cases of commuters freely eating durian and drinking beer! I have yet to witness this myself.

There have been reports of bizarre items brought onto trains too. One person carried a replica of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade [weapon used by Guan Yu in the historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms], and long spears, while some others seemed to move house using the MTR.

Someone seemed to have a relaxing ride on the MTR...

They have carried washing machines, refrigerators, big mattresses and even wardrobes onto the train. Guess they didn't even want to hire a Go-Go Van or a taxi...

Again I haven't seen that either, though I have seen people bring small mattresses on the MTR one late evening when it wasn't too busy.

But there was someone who strung a hammock between two poles and lay in it!

Picture of the Day: Jianbing Breakfast

Delicious local breakfast option in Beijing -- Jianbing!

In Beijing I stayed in a hotel in Dongsishitiao, a very convenient location to get to Sanlitun, and to Dongzhimen one subway stop away (or a 20 minute walk).

The woman who helped me checking into the hotel asked if I wanted breakfast in the hotel -- which would cost over 100 kuai. I said no, because I knew there were other cheaper options nearby.

Last time I stayed at this hotel I bought food next door at Starbucks, but this time I decided to go local.

Behind Poly Theater there is a small street with lots of small shops. One of them sells jianbing.

There are carbs for sure, but protein and vegetables too!

For the uninitiated, jianbing is a large savoury pancake that is folded like a square sandwich.

Every morning I would watch the woman make it. She put some batter on a large black round hotplate and then use a wooden tool to smooth it out. Then she cracked an egg on it, and then used the tool again to break the yolk and spread it over the crepe. After that was done she would sprinkle black sesame on top.

By this time the crepe is done on one side, and she deftly uses a scraper around the bottom to loosen it and then flips it over by holding onto it with her thumbs and the scrapers.

Then she adds a dark brown sauce I believe is similar to the ones used for Peking duck and spreads it all over the cooked side of the crepe. She asks if I want chilli sauce and I decline, and she continues by adding pickled and slightly spicy vegetables, raw chopped onions and coriander.

To finish she adds a rectangular piece of puffed cracker in the middle and then folds the crepe on two sides, then makes a crease with the scraper on each of the long ends of the cracker so that it can now fold into a square, and folds the rest of the crepe.

It's put into a waxy paper envelope and then into a plastic bag.

The flavour is definitely umami, with a touch of spiciness and crunch from the vegetables and the cracker. So good.

And only for 6 kuai!

I told my expat friend how much I paid for it and she said that it was about average, though she added some places charge as much as 15 kuai, which she thought was a rip-off.

I remember them being about 3 kuai a few years ago, but that's inflation for you.

Nevertheless it's still a bargain and I was able to eat a late lunch without feeling hungry in between!

Sweet and Savoury Breakfast

Oh so good, but definitely calorific -- the signature duck and waffle dish

Duck and Waffle is a well-known restaurant in London -- for its views from the 40th floor of Heron Tower which make it the tallest dining spot in the city, and for its food -- indulgent dishes that are available 24 hours a day.

That's right. Any time of day.

It's been open for four years and its fame has spread to Hong Kong, where a number of foodies have made the pilgrimage to the restaurant and enjoyed the many dishes there including the signature duck and waffle.

It entails a buttermilk waffle as the base, a duck leg confit on top, followed by a fried sunny-side up duck egg. It comes with Canadian maple syrup (hurrah!), seasoned with spices and mustard seeds.

A dramatic skyline that brightened up later in the morning

The combination of savoury and sweet works so well, the tenderness of the duck contrasts with the crunchiness of the waffle that has that comfort food taste, combined with texture from the whole mustard seeds and of course the yolk oozing from the egg that binds everything together.

The dish is so popular in London  that the restaurant serves 300 to 400 plates of duck and waffle per day. That's a lot of duck legs...

Duck and Waffle just wrapped up a week-long residency today at Ozone in the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong; it seemed appropriate that the restaurant be situated in the tallest one in the city.

The main crew were flown over here, including group executive chef Daniel Doherty and executive chef Tom Cenci, and Ozone, which usually has a Star Wars futuristic kind of vibe was different, with proper wooden tables and chairs set up and staff wearing Duck and Waffle T-shirts with dark jeans. They must have appreciated looking casual for the week.

Duck egg en cocotte with Gruyere cheese and truffle shavings

Their biggest logistical challenge was recreating the 24-hour service of the London one by having Ozone open from noon on Saturday all the way to Sunday until 5pm.

A few foodie friends and I were worried it would be very full in the evening so we thought we'd go early in the morning for breakfast. At first they suggested 7am which seemed to too early and then settled for an hour later.

I don't normally wake up that early, but this was something not to miss -- particularly since I don't think I'll be going to London anytime soon.

When we got to Ozone we were surprised to find hardly anyone was there, but then again 8am was quite early. It's also interesting to note that the bar and restaurant isn't usually open that early either -- the brunch usually starts at noon.

Dark clouds threatened to rain, but somehow they decided to disperse and we had blue skies to enjoy.

The service staff had just changed shifts, though some chefs had worked all night but were game to keep going for another few hours.

The gorgeous English cherries waffles with yoghurt ice cream

The menu for "brunch" was tempting and hard to decide what we wanted to eat, but in the end we ordered several items to try, some to share.

First up the bacon-wrapped dates (HK$45 each) were so good. Again the play on savoury and sweet was a perfect combination here -- if you didn't read the menu you wouldn't have known you were biting in to a large date, which wasn't saccharine sweet, just a bit, and quite filling.

I then had the duck egg en cocotte (HK$165), a mini cast iron frying pan with very meaty wild mushroom slices with creamy Gryuere cheese topped with tiny truffle shavings and of course the duck egg that wasn't completely baked through so some of the yolk oozed out. It was great with the slice of sourdough rye toast.

An intriguing dish was the duck congee (HK$195) that we thought was a new one for Hong Kong, but we were told it's always been on the menu. It features plain congee, quite thick in a shallow plate and decorated with shredded confit duck, julienne of ginger, crushed hazelnuts, pink pickled pearl onions, spring onions and hot sauce.

We were surprised to see gweilos had successfully elevated congee to a gourmet dish! The congee was very thick, not quite creamy, but almost there, and the dish was so colourful it made me wonder why the Chinese ones look so plain.

Other egg dishes we ordered were the shakshuka (HK$160), an exotic named dish featuring eggs again in the cast iron frying pan spiced up with harissa yoghurt and mint, and Columbian eggs (HK$1450, which was basically scrambled eggs with avocado, grilled chorizo on sourdough rye toast.

Of course we had the signature duck and waffle (HK$220), and it was as billed, sinfully delicious. We can't get over how the combination of these ingredients work so well together. Match made in heaven.

For dessert, we were enticed to try all three Belgian waffle creations. Banana brulee (HK$125) featured the waffle decorated with bananas that were sliced lengthwise and had sugar sprinkled on them to have a caramelized and crunchy surface, with homemade "nutella" and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The signature waffle is the "full Elvis" (HK$195), a decadent dessert the King would have approved of -- waffles with peanut butter, the aforementioned caramelized bananas, chantilly cream and crushed nuts, chocolate sprinkles. The only healthy parts were the decoration of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.

But in particular we all enjoyed the English cherries (HK$125), with the yoghurt ice cream topped white chocolate crumble and even yellow flower petals! Slightly tart and refreshing, a lighter option to finish the meal.

Some friends thought some of the dishes were even better than the ones they tasted in London. Quite the feat considering they are working in a tiny kitchen that is not too familiar and working overnight too.

We don't know when we'll get to Duck and Waffle in London, but when we do, we'll know what to order...