Creatively Circumventing the Govt App

Dining in restaurants requires scanning the QR code

 

Finally today's the day! People were so thrilled to have dinner in a restaurant tonight, though others still preferred takeaway. 

Walking along the waterfront tonight I could see Caprice, the three Michelin-starred French restaurant in the Four Seasons Hong Kong had guests seated by the windows, though at the same time by the ferry piers, many people carried plastic bags with their meals inside.

Lam scans the QR code before entering

Some were thrilled to finally go to the gym, another activity to do after having completed several of the hiking trails since November.

Meanwhile electronic shops were doing a brisk business these few days, some selling new phones, others "burner phones", or second-hand ones for people to use just for the LeaveHomeSafe app that must be used starting today if eating in a restaurant, going to the gym, and many other places.

"I'm buying a burner phone because the government clearly doesn't trust Hongkongers, so why would I trust them?" Vincent, 28, an accountant who gave only his first name because of the sensitivity of the issue, told Reuters.

Many had the same sentiment, as people flocked to places like Sham Shui Po to buy cheap electronic equipment.

People flock to Sham Shui Po for cheap phones

"People are just looking for a cheap smartphone that can run the LeaveHomeSafe app," said a vendor surnamed Wong. She reported selling 50 phones in the past week compared to the usual 10 or so the week previously.

Anecdotally a relative reported seeing more people writing down contact details than scanning the QR code, in a protest of fears the government could see their private information from the contact-tracing app on their phones.

Some planned to write their contact details as "Carrie Lam", referring to Hong Kong's chief executive, and then leave a fake phone number.

While this may seem amusing, the government may not take the joke, and may instead enforce people to use the QR code, perhaps with penalties attached, as contact tracing during a pandemic is a serious public health issue.

An employee in Choi Wan Estate was assaulted

And putting the onus on the business to ensure people scan the app isn't going down well -- a McDonald's employee in Choi Wan Estate suffered injuries after he was assaulted by a man in his 20s or 30s with his phone after refusing to use the LeaveHomeSafe app.

Restaurant industry leaders had expressed concerns altercations could happen between employees and guests if they did not comply to either scanning the QR code or writing down their details.

And already the first incident happened on the first day...

 

Picture of the Day: Cranberry Sauce

Fresh cranberries ready to be turned into sauce...

Around this time I would be flying home to help my family prepare for Christmas by putting up the (plastic) tree and decorating it, wrapping presents, helping marinate and roast the turkey, and cooking the gravy and cranberry sauce (separately).

But that's not happening this year -- at least me being over there thanks to the raging pandemic.

The cranberries begin to "pop" from the heat

However, I have a thing for cranberries and saw a box of fresh cranberries for sale at Marks & Spencer and decided to try to make cranberry sauce to put on things like toast and yogurt.

After consulting my mom, I rinsed the cranberries and waited for them to "pop" from the heat and then add a bit of Chinese wine and some honey, as she warned me the cranberries are very sour. Ooh! She was right! I resorted to adding white sugar as well.

Not too long afterwards and lots of honey later, I had produced semi-sweet cranberry sauce!

I posted this on Instagram and a friend here who is renowned for his jam-making skills wondered if I was going to make jam.

Et voila! Here is my cranberry sauce ready to go

In response I said I would learn from him, the "jam master", but he deferred to the pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hong Kong as THE jam maker.

Maybe I'll get a lesson soon on how to make jam! Perhaps this will be my new thing to do during a pandemic?!

Beijing Tempers Jack Ma

Ma's ambition to have the world's largest IPO was deflated

 

Ant Financial is refunding investors who had applied for the record US$39.67 billion IPO after the offering was suspended yesterday. The dual Shanghai and Hong Kong listing, which would have been the world's largest IPO was suspended less than 48 hours before listing because it may not meet listing and disclosure requirements due to changes in the regulatory environment in China.

Ant Financial focuses on small lenders

It's a shocking development for Ant Financial and founder Jack Ma Yun, and one he could not salvage. But it also shows Beijing doesn't want anyone to get bigger or more powerful than the Communist Party and is doing this to temper Ma.

"The party is flexing its muscle," said Victor Shih, associate professor at UC San Diego. "It's saying to Jack Ma, you are going to have the biggest IPO in the world, but that's not a big deal for the CCP, which overseas the world's second-largest economy."

For foreign investors, Bloomberg says the incident raises questions over the viability of Shanghai and Hong Kong as premium financial centres. The suspension of the IPO comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping said China would open up to allow more foreign access and gradually relax controls over the yuan and capital flows.

Maybe "gradual" means glacial gradual.

Xi said China will open up to foreign markets

The conflicting signals will make foreign investors question China's commitment to greater transparency that is needed in modern, open markets.

But there is also the problem of regulating an innovative hi-tech banking giant Ant Financial. 

Ma, who owns 50.5 percent of Ant Financial has said traditional lenders are run like "pawn shops", as banks always demand collateral before lending. In the future, he said, lending decisions should be decided by big data analysis.

Currently it allows people to pay for goods using Alipay, but it can also help clients, particularly small businesses get access to small loans. Ant's strategy is to earn fees by providing a digital platform for banks to reach small borrowers, and more accurately assess the credit risk.  

But perhaps this concept is too risky -- and it does sound risky -- for Beijing. 

Xiao Jianhua was kidnapped from HK in 2017

As a result Ma was summoned to Beijing on Monday for a rare meeting, and the IPO suspended the following day.

Ant Financial is not the first company to be tempered by Beijing. There are numerous previous examples such as Anbang Insurance Group, HNA Group, Tomorrrow Holding (where the founder was kidnapped from the Four Seasons Hong Kong in 2017), and China Evergrande Group.

Will Ma recover from this? He will have to surrender and lick his wounds, but perhaps Ant Financial is too far ahead of its time. Ma may have to bide his time and keep his head down for a while...

Panic Buying Settles In

Carrie Lam was berated yesterday for not wearing her mask properly

Hongkongers are pretty much united now in their ire at the Hong Kong government for not ensuring enough supplies for masks and sanitizing products in the wake of the Wuhan coronavirus that's spreading around the world.

There are now over 6,100 confirmed cases, 6,000 of which are in China, where 132 people have died. Hong Kong has eight confirmed cases, and three new ones today that need additional testing. Two of the cases are a couple in their early 70s who apparently spent a couple of days in the Four Seasons Hong Kong!

This morning a long line at the a pharmacy in Kennedy Town

It's a massive step up from 17 years ago when the Chinese doctor who began the spreading of SARS here stayed at the Metropark Hotel Kowloon...

In any event, this morning on my way to work I saw a long line in front of the neighbourhood pharmacy, as people were waiting for it to open to buy masks. Wonder if they managed to get any. Some shops gouged customers, raising prices several times the regular price, or they still didn't have any new stock.

Not only were masks and hand sanitizers in high demand, but people also raided supermarkets for fear of being stuck at home and not having enough to eat. At Heng Fa Chuen,  the ParknShop there ran out of vegetables at 2pm, while the shelves of sacks of rice in Yuen Long were completely empty.

In the ParknShop in Kennedy Town, loaves of bread were gone, and strangely enough flu medicine was not to be found.

"I am not that worried," said Cheng, a businessman in his 50s, who was buying canned food in Heng Fa Chuen. "But I can understand why many are panicking and stocking up on food. Their actions show they have lost confident in the government. As the government is not helping us, we have to do what we can to feel assured."

Many supermarkets ran out of food, especially vegetables

Cheng hit the nail on the head.

People feel desperate when the Hong Kong government claimed it had enough stock for masks and yet they cannot find any, and unlike Macau where the authorities there demanded that shops selling masks can only sell them at a low price and allotted a certain number of boxes per person, no such system is in place in Hong Kong.

University of Hong Kong microbiologist Dr Ho Pak-leung has estimated the city would use about 300 million surgical masks per month during the outbreak of the coronavirus.

"For a person who needs to go outside... they will use up to three disposable masks," Ho said. "If 1 million belong to this category, that's 3 million masks per day, 90 million per month. He also said health care workers in public hospitals used as many as 300,000 masks daily at the peak of the 2003 SARS epidemic.

At just before 8pm, Central MTR station was eerily quiet

So far the coronavirus doesn't seem as deadly as SARS, but seems more contagious than SARS, as people don't have any symptoms when they are infected with the coronavirus. 

Nevertheless, Lam and her administration must be accountable to the people in fulfilling her promise that there are enough masks for the city... or did she just mean for herself?

Decadent Dim Sum

Lung King Heen's famous baked barbecue pork buns

Last Saturday three friends and I went to Lung King Heen, the three-starred Michelin Chinese restaurant in the Four Seasons Hong Kong for dim sum. I had booked the table back in late November to ensure we got a table.

It's pretty impressive how this place continues to keep its consistency particularly in dim sum, as I have now eaten it here three times, and for dinner only once many years ago.

Steamed rice rolls with lobster and water chestnut

There were a few new dishes on the dim sum menu and we decided to try some of them as well as order our favourites.

A new one was steamed rice rolls with lobster and water chestnut in fermented bean sauce (HK$230). This was definitely indulgent, but have you had steamed rice rolls with lobster before? This was fantastic -- very meaty but also included chopped vegetables and crunchy water chestnuts too.

Another was steamed lobster dumplings with egg white and sweet corn (HK$120). These dumplings were so large that they were served in pairs per bamboo steamer. Take a bite and inside it was choc full of lobster along with sweet corn. It sounds strange with corn kernels, but works well, again for texture and added sweetness.

Perfectly executed steamed shrimp dumplings

The baked goose puffs with chestnut in XO chilli sauce (HK$99) were topped with bonito flakes, perhaps an ode to the goose's nest? The pastry shell was very flaky and buttery, while the goose was also quite rich too and perhaps needed some acidity to cut the richness, as bonito flakes wasn't going to do that.

As for staples, the steamed shrimp dumplings with bamboo shoots (HK$99) was a star winner, so delicate, the skin translucent and the shrimp meat inside so delicious and filling.

We also thoroughly enjoyed the baked whole abalone puff with diced chicken (HK$84 per piece). The abalone is sliced up so that you aren't obligated to shove the whole thing into your mouth and enjoy it in at least two bites. The pastry here was also top notch.

Pan-fried rice rolls in XO chilli sauce (HK$200) is a small portion for what you get; it is spicy, though that day I was battling a cold and couldn't eat as much as I would have liked. It was a dish that was a struggle to finish.

Baked abalone puffs with diced chicken a winner

The same could be said for the plate of char siu (HK$350). By the time it arrived I was pretty full and could barely finish two slices. 

However, the signature baked barbecue pork buns with pine nuts (HK$99) continue to be one of the best items on this menu. The filling features diced char siu mixed with pine nuts and enveloped in a bun that holds it together topped with a pineapple but dome for a touch of crispiness.

A friend new to Lung King Heen was about to rip the bun in half but we stopped her in time to advise her to eat it in bites instead. She was glad we gave her that tip and savoured each bite.

For dessert we had complimentary bowls of mango pudding topped with pomelo sago pudding! What a combo. It was only when we dug our spoons in did we realize there was mango pudding underneath.

Osmanthus jellies and puff rice cakes for dessert

We also had some petit fours of steamed osmanthus jelly, and puff rice cakes.

I was so full afterwards, but in particular sated by the food and really enjoyed the company too.

Lung King Heen
4/F, Four Seasons Hong Kong
8 Finance Street, Central
3196 8880 

A Bizarre Dining Experience

My unforgettable dinner tonight at Lei Garden in IFC

This evening, I attended an event at the Four Seasons Hong Kong in IFC mall. There were some small dishes to eat, but nothing substantial.

A friend, M, who arrived late was very hungry and another friend A suggested we have dinner at Lung King Heen, the hotel's fine dining Cantonese restaurant that continues to retain its three Michelin-star rating after 11 years.

However, the staff told us the restaurant was completely packed, so we decided to head to another restaurant in the mall, Lei Garden.

Our kale was supposed to look like this -- but ours was burnt

The restaurant has many branches around town and this one did not receive a Michelin star -- only two of its branches did. Nevertheless we were happy to find at 8.30pm there was a table for us.

We ordered some simple home-style dishes: soup of the day, stir-fried kale with ginger juice, steamed minced pork patty with salted egg, and chicken cooked in a clay pot with garlic and shallots.

The waiter soon came back and told us the daily soup was sold out. He suggested some other soups available, but we decided not to have any.

Then the plate of kale arrived and the three of us were shocked. The stir-fried kale was burnt and the leaves had turned yellow -- whoever cooked this dish did not know how to stir-fry vegetables and chose kale that was not fresh.

My friend A immediately called the server over and complained, saying the kale was burnt and yellow, and how could a well-known restaurant like Lei Garden in IFC serve a dish like this? We are not eating in a dai pai dong or street-side eatery! The server didn't apologize and explained that was the way it was cooked.

We ordered this dish but it was not prepared for us

We were flabbergasted. Stir-fried vegetables are supposed to be burnt?

M tried to take a bite of one while we were complaining and found it very bitter and couldn't finish it.

The fact that the server was unapologetic made us even more annoyed. She suggested we order the pea shoots cooked in chicken broth -- a safer choice.

I should have taken a photo of the kale as evidence, but we were so shocked at the time it didn't occur to us at all.

The chicken cooked in the clay pot rice was fine, and the pea shoots were on the bland side, but at least not burnt.

Then we asked where our steamed minced pork patty was.

The server returned and said it would be another 10 minutes. Excuse me? We ordered this at least half an hour ago! Someone in the kitchen completely forgot our order.

We gave up and paid the bill which came to HK$420 for three including a small bowl of rice.

What a bizarre experience in a well-known restaurant! We're not going back there anytime soon...

Back at Lung King Heen for Dim Sum

Taking a picture of our dim sum dishes before digging in!

Over a year ago YTSL and I made a trip to Lung King Heen and we were in heaven biting into the barbecue pork buns with char siu and pine nuts.

Still dreaming about them, we came back again with another friend to give us the excuse to order more food!

The excellent rice rolls with char siu and preserved vegetable

We were given a late reservation of time of 2.15pm and we were worried there wouldn't be much food left, but in fact a few other diners trickled in after us. Even Chinese executive chef Chan Yan-tak made an appearance in the dining room.

One of our favourite dim sum this time was the steamed rice rolls with char siu and preserved vegetables (HK$100). That's not a combination you find in other dim sum places and now I'm wondering why not!

The preserved vegetables have a savoury taste and also help balance out the sweetness of the char siu. The crunchiness of the vegetables also adds a nice texture. The rice rolls were so thin and yet they didn't break when we picked them up. Amazing.

While I love har gao or steamed shrimp dumplings (HK$99) with bamboo shoots, I have to say these ones weren't particularly outstanding, boring in fact. Maybe it's because no MSG was added.

Baked whole abalone puff with diced chicken

I ordered steamed assorted mushroom dumplings with celery (HK$99) and this too was almost refreshing in a way, along with a bit of a crunch that was very delicate. The same could be said with the steamed scallop dumplings with vegetables and wild mushrooms (HK$99).

The baked whole abalone puffs with diced chicken (HK$82 each) were YTSL's highlight. She liked the east-west taste as the pastry is very buttery, the abalone cooked perfectly. We also liked the baked beef puffs with mushrooms and preserved vegetables (HK$99).

We eagerly anticipated having the baked barbecue pork buns with pine nuts (HK$99) and upon picking them up I was amazed at how thin the pastry was in holding the hot, sweet, gooey filling inside. When I bit into it, the familiar sweetness of the char siu was there, the fat taken out so it was all lean, but wait -- where were the pine nuts?

Barbecue pork buns with pine nuts

Mid-way through eating the bun I finally tasted them, but I remembered last time there were many more pine nuts in the filling. Was it cutting costs? Pine nuts aren't cheap either. Nevertheless the pine nut taste lingered in my mouth.

In the end with a mango sago cream dessert (HK$90) the bill came to HK$1,370 for three including service charge. It's not cheap but it's not Tim Ho Wan either! Saving up for the next trip to Lung King Heen...

Lung King Heen

4/F, Four Seasons Hong Kong

8 Finance Street

Central
3196 8888

Sampling of Sushi Saito

The minimalist look of the dining area of Sushi Saito using natural wood

On Thursday I had my first bona fide omakase experience at Sushi Saito, the latest premium high-end Japanese restaurant to open in Hong Kong. Select media were given a sneak peek, but no free lunches here -- we all shelled out HK$1,480 plus 10 percent for the lunch.

A few days before we were reminded to arrive 15 minutes before the seating at noon -- if you don't show up you will be charged, and do not wear any perfume or have a cigarette or cigar smell.

The chef de cuisine has worked for Saito for several years

As a result, many of us worried about being late and arrived at least half an hour early to ride up to the 45th floor of the Four Seasons Hong Kong for the highly-anticipated meal.

Sushi Saito is a three Michelin-starred restaurant that is also number 26 on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurant list that's located in Tokyo. Chef Takashi Saito is known for being very particular with his ingredients and only serves eight guests at a time in his small restaurant that is near impossible to get a reservation.

So when there was an opportunity to try it here, I jumped at the chance.

We soon understood why it was important not to wear any scent -- Saito wants his guests to soak in the fresh wood smell in the small restaurant that seats in total 16 seats, but today it was only seven. The large dining table seating three on one side, four on the other, the two thick slabs of gorgeous wood from a 400-year-old Japanese cypress.

Apparently each time they wipe down the table top, the scent from the wood comes out. Once in a while they will sand it down with the finest sandpaper and then polish it. It was so smooth I couldn't help but keep stroking the table top throughout the meal.

Grilled sea perch (back) with pickled turnip

There is a ritualistic etiquette to the meal -- the chef makes a sushi for each person on their plate and it should be eaten practically right away because he has made it for you at that moment.

There is no wasabi or soy sauce to dip it in, so just pick it up with your hand and put it in your mouth. To cleanse the palate, there is a small mound of finely shaved pickled ginger and it is refilled as necessary.

He makes each piece per person and then goes around again making the next one using different seafood. We started with a slice of monkfish liver seasoned in light soy, some sugar and seasoned with grated yuzu.

I can't remember all the names of the other dishes, but they included grilled sea perch (divine), a small fish called kohada seasoned with lime juice, maguro or tuna, squid with a bit of lime juice, large prawn, and clam. This was followed by a slice from the futomaki roll with two cubes of tamago or sweet egg that is considered dessert, and miso soup.

Kohada with a touch of lime juice and shaved ginger

The whole meal was accompanied with Champagne -- Saito considers it the best pairing with sushi, even better than sake.

We were surprised to find that in the beginning the sushi rice was quite warm, and also when the chef de cuisine served uni or sea urchin, it was quite cold, having just literally been taken out of the refrigerator -- it should be around room temperature. But perhaps Saito prefers to keep the uni as fresh as possible and not sitting out too long.

Nevertheless we quite enjoyed the experience and weren't stuffed either.

We found out afterwards behind the bar is a cabinet that when opened reveals blocks of ice to keep the fish chilled. These are considered better than refrigerators that can dry the fish out. Saito wants the fish to be as fresh as possible.

The prized maguro that has been aged for seven days

Since reservations here will be difficult to secure, I won't be going back to Sushi Saito anytime soon, but appreciated the opportunity to try it!

Sushi Saito

45/F, Four Seasons Hong Kong

8 Finance Street

Central

Curious Observations About Xiao Jianhua

Xiao Jianhua had a preference for female bodyguards to protect him

There is now further development in the Xiao Jianhua story, with reports saying the 46-year-old billionaire is on the mainland "assisting investigations" into the stock market turmoil in 2015 and the case of a former top spy apparently.

But in the meantime there has been a lot of buzz about how he and many other uber wealthy mainlanders stay in the apartments at the Four Seasons Hong Kong. It is nicknamed "north-facing watchtower" by mainland businessmen and the media.

Some media outlets have reported that rich mainlanders trying to evade the law seek refuge in this hotel, where the presidential suite can set you back HK$78,000 (US$10,000) a night.

Xi Zhendong has been reported to stay at the Four Seasons

They apparently prefer this hotel because of its "timeless luxury" as well as its location, with the airport express downstairs and it is a short walk to the Shun Tak ferry terminal to Macau.

Some people were were believed to have stayed there include Xi Zhendong, head of technology firm Beida Jade Bird. He lived in the hotel in 2014 when another businessman he was allegedly connected to was placed under investigation on the mainland.

Another is Xing Libin, founder of Shanxi coal mining company Liansheng Energy. He also spent time at the Four Seasons Hong Kong after he heard Beijing authorities were investigating his company. He later returned to Shanxi where he was arrested.

Some others include LeEco founder Jia Yueting, Jiangxi tycoon Xiong Xianzhong of Ke Long supermarkets, businessman Su Daren, and Wu Changjiang, chief executive of NVC Lighting who spent time in the hotel to evade mainland authorities.

However, it is an intriguing fact that Xiao would have an entourage of female bodyguards ranging from two to eight.

Xing Libin also stayed at the hotel, but was later arrested

When questioned by the media, Hong Kong security experts commented it was unusual to have an entire team of female bodyguards, rather than say one as part of a team.

Bruce McLaren, the chief operating officer of Signal 8 Security, said having female bodyguards was mostly beneficial to female clients, as they could accompany them to the washroom or changing areas with ease.

He added female bodyguards can be just as strong as the men.

So the mystery continues as to the fate of Xiao -- will he be allowed to come back to Hong Kong? Will he be detained indefinitely on the mainland?

And also -- will mainlanders now avoid staying at the Four Seasons as mainland agents just plucked Xiao out of there even though he had bodyguards with him?

Questions Over Missing Billionaire

A file photo of Xiao Jianhua, who has disappeared from Hong Kong

There are reports that a mainland Chinese billionaire was taken away from his apartment in the Four Seasons Hong Kong and taken across the border on Friday.

The latest is that Xiao Jianhua, 46, was last seen leaving the hotel in Central with a group of people. And then it was reported he crossed the border to Shenzhen at 3pm that day.

It's all very mysterious, but It is eerily reminiscent of the five booksellers who went missing over a year ago.

He was last seen at the Four Seasons Hong Kong (left)

This time it's not sure what has happened to Xiao, as he is considered to be highly connected to Beijing circles.

He's been known to be a banker to Beijing elites and their relatives, and made many business deals in areas from banking to coal, cement, insurance and property that have made him and his company Tomorrow Group worth about US$5.8 billion.

However suspicions arose this week when two statements were issued in Xiao's name apparently on his WeChat account claiming he was on the mainland.

The first one, issued on Monday said: "I, Xiao Jianhua, am recuperating overseas now and all is good! Business is normal at Tomorrow Group!"

The second statement released yesterday said the tycoon had not been "captured" and taken back to the mainland, and would appear "very soon after the treatment".

Xiao is highly connected to Beijing

It added Xiao was a Canadian citizen, and that he enjoyed consular protection from Canada, and as a Hong Kong permanent resident, he was covered by the city's laws. He was even quoted as saying he held a "diplomatic passport", that was issued from Antigua.

"I have diplomatic protection as I hold a diplomatic passport. Please don't worry about me," it said.

These two statements were later deleted from the account.

Then today there was an ad taken out in Ming Pao newspaper that basically reiterated the second statement, and said Wang loved his country and had never been involved in any situation that might damage the country's interests or the government's image, or supported an opposition organization.

It's all very strange, as Xiao is considered to be very well connected, but the two messages and in particular the advertisement seem very contrived and hard to believe. Why would anyone take out an ad like that?

If these messages were meant to be reassurances, they had the opposite reaction. Just because a mainlander has a Canadian passport means nothing to Beijing -- especially if he did not cross the border using his passport (with a visa in it).

This case may not garner as much sympathy in Hong Kong because Xiao is a mainlander, but the principle is the same -- a Hong Kong resident cannot be taken across the border against his will which is in Article 28 of the Basic Law.

Here we have the chills again, that anyone can be spirited away across the border without any signs. The fact that he was taken away in such a public place is quite daring.

We will have to see what happens, but it may be weeks or months before we hear something...

Michelin Three-Starred Dim Sum

Lung King Heen's prized baked barbecue pork buns with pine nuts

After making a reservation almost a month ago, my friend YTSL and I headed to Lung King Heen, the Michelin three-starred restaurant in the Four Seasons Hong Kong for dim sum. She had tried it and raved about it and so I was curious enough to want to sample it too.

An idea of what the interior of the restaurant is like!

We sat down to lunch at 12.30pm, a bit surprised the place wasn't full already -- but then again perhaps tai tais want to sleep in on a Saturday...

YTSL suggested we order all the signature dim sum dishes, particularly the baked barbecued pork buns with pine nuts. Since there were two of us, the waiter told us most dishes came in three pieces and would we like to have two, with a price adjustment? What a novel idea.

However, we did keep the barbecue pork bun order to three pieces and YTSL was in bun heaven.

Baked whole abalone puff with diced chicken

The bun is fluffy and light, and manages to hold the filling, which is choc full of char siu and some pine nuts for added texture. The end result is a delicious combination that isn't oily or too buttery, meaty and slightly crunchy.

Another delicious pastry is the baked whole abalone puff with diced chicken, the abalone is small, sliced for easy consumption, but very meaty.

Steamed rice rolls are only available on weekends, so we made sure we ordered one of them -- the signature one of lobster and water chestnut in fermented bean sauce. It was very decadent, with lots of fresh lobster meat, added crunch from the water chestnut and very flavourful.

This week's weekend dim sum special was steamed beef balls, and they were executed well, very tender, and moist. We also liked the vegetarian steamed assorted mushroom and zucchini dumpling that was packaged in a translucent wrapper, very delicate and delicious.

1/2 portion of scallops with pear, shrimp paste, Yunnan ham

The steamed shrimp dumplings with wild mushrooms were a minor fault in terms of flavour -- it goes to show that the classic pairing shrimp dumplings with bamboo shoots is done for a reason and shouldn't be altered. We liked the shrimp -- very meaty and crunchy, but the mushrooms didn't seem to go with the shrimps in terms of texture and flavour.

Oh well. Not to fret over. But we did like the scallops with a bit of shrimp in it, on a piece of pear base and encased in a white pastry with shrimp paste and Yunnan ham. Absolutely exquisite how it was packaged and executed.

We got a few desserts to try on the house, including a black sesame and walnut mousse (topped with bits of gold foil), osmanthus jelly, almond cookies, coconut glutinous rice cakes shaped like diamonds, and little balls of mango encased in desicated coconut.

A delicate flower with warm custard inside was delicious!

In the end both of us shelled out HK$460 each and the restaurant still wasn't packed by the time we left around 2.45pm. We were quite surprised to see other people eat quickly and then leave -- they must come here so frequently that it's not something they savour...

Lung King Heen

4/F, Four Seasons Hong Kong

8 Finance Street

Central

3196 8880

fourseasons.com/hongkong/

Further Mainlandization of Hong Kong

The mainlandization of Hong Kong continues with whole office buildings being snapped up by mainland companies.

Evergrande Real Estate has agreed to buy Mass Mutual Tower in Wan Chai from Chinese Estates Holdings for a record HK$12.5 billion. The happy seller? Joseph Lau Luen-hung, who snapped up the $48 million blue diamond for his little Josephine a day earlier.

On the same day as the Mass Mutal Tower sale, Chinese insurer China Life bought an office block tower with a two-storey retail block at One HarbourGate in Hung Hom from Wheelock & Co. for HK$5.85 billion.

Experts say this trend will continue as more mainland companies expand their presence in Hong Kong, snapping up office space in prime locations...

So it looks like we will have more mainland landlords... is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Economically Hong Kong needs the money, but in the long term surely this just accelerates the pace at which the city integrates with the motherland?

In the meantime, tensions between mainlanders and locals continue to simmer.

This afternoon I went to the Body Shop in Times Square to buy something before going back to the office and a young mainland man was shouting loudly and angrily at one of the staff there. She looked completely unfazed even though he sounded threatening.

He was already shouting when I arrived, and thought he would stop soon, but he kept on his tirade in a very demanding tone. Another staff person was trying to sell more things to me, but this young man's loud voice was so disconcerting that I almost left.

When I went to the cashier to pay, he stormed off, and it seems he was annoyed he couldn't get a discount on something he wanted to buy. A mainland woman who was shopping in the store apologized for his behaviour, but the shop assistant who was shouted at was polite and said it didn't matter, and that he only wanted to buy something that wasn't expensive.

Then this evening my friend and I went to Caprice Bar in the Four Seasons Hong Kong for drinks with another friend we hadn't seen in ages.

However a young mainland family walked in -- and the child was whining in Mandarin. We are in a five-star hotel where a room is over HK$6,000 a night and a boy is making loud noises in a bar.

The parents try to quieten him down, but he keeps going. When we were misbehaving, our parents immediately took us outside to make us quiet. But why is he allowed in a place like this?

Eventually they are seated in the restaurant where dandan mian is not on the menu.

I know that Hong Kong people can treat mainlanders badly, but the two above examples are bad form too.

Money is what drives our relationship, not mutual respect.

And as long as they keep throwing money at Hong Kong, staff will have to put up with outrageous behaviour, while the landlords -- more and more mainland ones -- will be raking it in... What do they care?