The Hospitality Industry's Rocky Road

Rech by Alain Ducasse had a great view, good food, but closed last night

Tonight I re-visited a relatively new restaurant in Causeway Bay and it was doing pretty good business. Staff were all wearing masks and hand sanitizer was at the bar for anyone wanting to give their hands a good rubdown.

This evening chefs wearing masks prepare dinner for 12 guests

At dinner the gossip tonight was about Rech by Alain Ducasse's sudden closure last night. The fine-dining contemporary French restaurant seemed to have the right formula -- a stunning view of Victoria Harbour, unpretentious decor and seafood that was fresh and light -- and managed to retain its one Michelin star for three consecutive years.

But yesterday afternoon the staff were told that in a few hours they would be working their last service for dinner, and the restaurant would close. Imagine how shocking that is -- to find out you have no job the next day.

However what happened at Rech is happening all over the city, a lot of restaurants, cafes, shops are closing because they can't financially survive anymore after eight months of protests and now the coronavirus that has morphed into a global pandemic.

People aren't being let go because of their work performance -- it's a collection of forces that are way beyond their control.

Everyone is vulnerable to cuts, including dai pai dongs

When will it all end? No one knows. It's shocking and sad to see so many people unemployed at once, affecting all sectors, but right now it's the survival of the fittest in terms of how deep pockets are...

China Already Knows How the Story Ends

The book about the coronavirus in China is out

Yesterday I wrote a blog post about China's propaganda machine going into overdrive with its tales of heroism and self-sacrifice of healthcare workers and ordinary people in their efforts to fight the coronavirus.

Today China reported 327 new cases compared to 433 the day before, and 44 deaths, which is less than the number of cases around the world, but this epidemic, which infectious disease experts fear could develop into a pandemic, is far from over.

The book talks about China's valiant efforts to battle the virus

However the Chinese have already published a book about the country's valiant efforts in overcoming the coronavirus called A Battle Against Epidemic: China Combating Covid-19 in 2020. It seems China already knows the ending to the story when the coronavirus hasn't even peaked yet.

A news release issued by the Xinhua News Agency says the book "collectively reflects General Secretary Xi Jinping's commitment to the people, his sense of mission, his far-reaching strategic vision and outstanding leadership as the leader of a major power."

Talk about a breathless sentence, perhaps because it was such a rushed project to finish.

There are articles extolling Xi Jinping's leadership in the crisis

The book features articles from Chinese state media that reiterate over and over how the Communist Party of China in its great wisdom knows how to battle the coronavirus, and has done so effectively.

The press release also claims the book will focus on "key moments, individuals and events during China's ongoing fight against the epidemic". 

Will it pay tribute to ophthalmologist Dr Li Wenliang and how he sounded the alarm about the coronavirus in late December but was accused by the police of spreading rumours? Li was infected with the coronavirus and died on February 7 and considered a hero by many Chinese who were angered by how the police, and by extension the local government treated him, and demanded free speech.

Will Dr Li Wenliang be memorialized in the book?

In any event, the book -- should you wish to read it -- will be available in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Arabic.

Isn't it a bit too premature to come out with a book like this? But perhaps the Chinese are trying to be optimistic?

Picture of the Day: Ancient Selfies

A "modern antique" hand-painted cabinet at Tate Dining Room

Tate Dining Room is a fine dining French-Chinese restaurant, where each dish has a story that are linked with an underlying theme.

Chef and owner Vicky Lau presents dishes with refined and delicate tastes, reminding you of classic French cooking techniques, but also flavours might be modern takes on classic Chinese.

The dining room is understated yet elegant, the tables thought out, complete with a pull-out drawer for utensils.

Earlier this week I was there for an assignment and examined a Chinese-style "modern antique" cabinet in front of the private dining room.

My eyes wandered around the hand-painted cabinet and noticed the woman in the pavilion was holding something strange... a smartphone!

She was taking pictures of herself in ancient times! Very cute.

Tate Dining Room
210 Hollywood Road
Sheung Wan
2555 2172

Waiting Around in Mykonos

The famous wooden windmills at Fabrika in Mykonos

Tourism is a big part of Greece's economy, as everyone who caters to tourists speak various languages like English, Italian and Spanish, offer a variety of services, particularly food and transport to make the visitors' time in the country more enjoyable.

We are currently in Mykonos, an island over three hours' ferry ride from Athens. It is completely dependent on tourists who are there to soak up the sun, frolic in the clear blue waters, party the night away and eat lots of souvlaki and drink alcohol. Visitors are mainly French, Italian, Spanish and American.

There are "boutique hotels" everywhere and stretching resources, particularly electricity and the internet. Last night when we were going out for dinner we could see sparks flying out of the power poles and we even had a blackout in our hotel at 5am! Internet is spotty which is why it's hard for me to upload pictures...

The monastery in Ano Mera

Today we ventured out to visit what we were told is a small traditional Greek Town, Ana Mera where there is a well-known monastery. But to get there from Ornos, where we are staying, we had to get a bus to Fabrika, and from there another bus to Ano Mera.

The bus costs 1.80 euros one way, or we could have ordered transport for about 30 euros an hour. Of course we tried the latter.

We were armed with the bus schedule and the next bus to Fabrika was supposed to be 10.10am. We waited and waited in the sun (and the moved to the shade) but no bus came. It wasn't until 10.40am did the bus come and we jumped on.

Half an hour later we arrived at Fabrika, another bay area where we saw three cruise ships anchored there. We walked to the famed wooden windmills, though one was in repair, making it not as picturesque. Many of the cruise ship passengers were hanging out here taking pictures or have lunch along the coastline which is packed with restaurants next to each other.

We had to walk past all these places to get to the Old Port to catch our next bus to Ano Mera. After securing our tickets we got on the bus. I need add these buses are not what one would think are public transit buses -- they are basically tour coaches that ferry mostly tourists but also some locals around.

The small church is very ornate inside

As a result, the bus does not have a proper announcement system to say which stop is coming next or even a microphone for the driver to tell passengers what the stop is clearly. As a result we missed our stop. The bus driver was annoyed with us, but let us stay on the bus as he was going back and would pass by Ano Mera again.

A few minutes later we were dropped off in what looked like the middle of nowhere. Across the street we could see a church with a special flag and guessed it was the monastery. It was a small church but inside was packed full of details, religious iconography, a mural of Jesus Christ on the ceiling of the dome and intricate wooden carvings, and lots of silver and gold.

Upstairs was a small museum that had more embroidered vestments, jewellery and other religious objects in precious metals and stones.

A chubby boy about nine or 10 years old sat at the entrance taking 1 euro suggested donation from each visitor who came in. Why wasn't he in school? Nevertheless, he was polite though and said thank you to each person who paid. He also liked petting the cats who hung out in the churchyard.

Following our visit to the church we got some lunch and I tried grilled sardines that were delicious with a lemon sauce. I find the food here in general is under seasoned which is unusual, but better than too salty.

We went back to the bus stop to wait for the bus. At first we got the time wrong and had to wait 30 minutes for the 3pm bus. It did not come. While we were waiting, other tourists inquired about the bus and we had to explain the bus was supposed to be there at 3pm but it still hadn't arrived. While buses came our way, but then passed right by us because they were tour buses. At one point we wondered if we would ever get onto our bus.

Grilled fresh sardines for lunch!

It wasn't until 3.30pm (when the next bus was supposed to arrive) did the bus come. It was frustrating to have to wait for buses to come when they didn't follow the schedule...

Then we had to wander from the Old Town back to Fabrika and had to navigate our way through the maze of streets filled with shops selling souvenirs and cafes to finally make our way back to the bus station.

When we finally made it back we rewarded ourselves with a trip to our hotel pool after a long day of walking around and using public transport. Oh and yes a lot of waiting around...

Celebrating the Canadian Way

Canadian Consul Jeff Nankivell says Canada is more welcoming than the US

This evening the Canadian Consulate hosted a Canada Day cocktail at the JW Marriott for Canadians to celebrate the 151st birthday of the country.

A Canadian singer performed both O Canada and The March of the Volunteers, the former in English and French, the latter in Mandarin. Hong Kong Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung was impressed by her "impeccable Putonghua".

Cheung Kong's Victor Li (fifth from left) cutting the cake

He was also impressed by Canadian Consul-General Jeff Nankivell's trilingual skills of English, French and Cantonese. He also speaks Mandarin, but tonight wasn't the right audience for it.

Nankivell gave an energetic speech off the bat, saying how Canada was a safe place to visit, how it was a welcoming country and was eager to do business with others in an indirect jab at the United States.

He continued about how it was a good place for education, and how it welcomes investment and listed the many trade agreements it has with other countries. He joked about how Canada hoped the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP would stay in place, as American President Donald Trump has threatened to abandon it.

At the end he said how Canadian food and drink were delicious -- mei sik, mei yum, ho mei. Do jie! 美吃， 美喝， 好妹。谢谢！

Inviting guests to try out their hockey skills

Cheung repeated Nankivell's mantra and added how his Cantonese was ho jeng. 好正！

Actually Cheung's spoken English is excellent. He observed of the many other national day ceremonies he had attended, never had he witnessed one that was so lively, as Nankivell even put a funny hat at one point, eliciting laughs from the audience in the ballroom.

Later on a large cake was rolled out, and the sponsors of the evening were invited to come on stage to assist. The biggest one was Cheung Kong Group, which meant Victor Li Tzar-kuoi was invited on stage, along with representatives from The Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal, Sun Wah Group and Delia School of Canada.

The other major announcement was that in September, there will be an exhibition game between the Boston Bruins and the Calgary Flames in Shenzhen in an effort to promote ice hockey in China. About time the NHL tried to shoot and score in the Middle Kingdom...

Adventurous Dining at Serge et le Phoque

Pan-fried scallops with red cabbage and squid ink sauce at Serge et le Phoque

Last night after the typhoon signal finally went down to T3, I ventured out for dinner with my aunt and her friend.

Spanish prawn two ways

I was prepared with rubber boots, but they were not necessary as there was hardly any rain, though a lot of debris on the road from tree branches.

We headed to the restaurant through what a street that is usually bustling with shops and customers but last night was completely shut and quiet. Serge et le Phoque is a hipster French restaurant located near the Wan Chai wet market and we were the first to arrive.

The place is hardly pretentious, which makes customers relaxed and curious about the place. Not long after we were seated, chef de cuisine Nic Chew (ex-L'atelier Robuchon and St Betty's) spotted us and came by to say hello. We asked what was on the chef's menu (HK$850 per person), but he was vague, only hinting the restaurant specialized in seafood.

Based on scant information we decided to go for it.

After a cucumber granite with a touch of spiciness, our appetites were whetted for an unknown feast. It started with skewers of four mussels each, lightly seasoned, followed by a Spanish prawn -- the meat extracted from the shell and again only lightly seasoned, accompanied by the head that was cooked tempura style. The flavours on both were intense and flavourful.

Sea bass ceviche with avocado and seaweed

Next came a refreshing sea bass ceviche with some fresh avocado slices topped with sesame seeds and dry seaweed. When we finished the dish, we were instructed to mop up the vinaigrette sauce with bread.

This was followed by pan-fried scallops with an interesting pairing of red cabbage and dressed with some squid ink sauce. I don't usually like red cabbage, but this one hardly tasted bitter.

My favourite dish came next -- mackerel decorated with a thin slice of daikon -- but what's underneath? Why some uni of course! And a beautiful smattering of fresh peas too. The fish was cooked perfectly and the uni added the umami umph.

We were also given a side of colourful beetroots garnished with grated fresh wasabi that was more like dry powder to perk up the dish.

Mackerel with uni on top, daikon and fresh peas

Another interesting combo was the only meat course, roasted guinea fowl that was tender, and topped with salmon roe and garnished with some fresh oyster mushrooms. Very creative.

A side dish of boiled then roasted half cabbage came out that also had butter in it. What a novel presentation.

By this point we were full, but would we like some cheese? My aunt said yes please! She was given a plate of blue cheese and brie and we shared it along with the crusty rye bread we'd been eating all evening.

Finally dessert. The restaurant's signature is the dacquoise -- a kind of soft macaron with vanilla custard in it and decorated with icing sugar and I'm pleased to report it's still quite good.

Opera cake garnished with whiskey jelly... so good!

But even better was the Opera cake -- chocolate cake with whiskey jelly on top! A nice small slice was the perfect amount for us to savour.

Serge et le Phoque

G/F, Shop B2, 3 Wan Chai Road

Wan Chai
5465 2000

Hometown Favourite

Chef Makoto Ono's crispy chicken with cauliflower tartare

It's been interesting watching my friend Amanda Cheng evolve with each new culinary project. She started several years ago with a little dessert bar called Riquiqui in Hong Kong on Wellington Street, and a year later she gave the space to Peter Cuong Franklin to try out his dishes before starting Chom Chom.

Cheng then moved back to Vancouver with her then chef boyfriend (now husband) Makoto Ono from Winnipeg, and they started Pigin in 2013, a restaurant that served dishes with a mix of Japanese and French cuisines.

Cozy interior with a small bar in the middle of the room

While the food was great, the location was not -- right in Vancouver's downtown east side -- considered the country's poorest postal code with alcoholics and drug addicts hanging around the area.

What made it worse were the anti-gentrification protesters who made it awkward for both the chef/owners trying to make a living, and the patrons feeling embarrassed to walk in.

About a year ago the pair left the restaurant and a few weeks ago just opened Mak N Ming on the west side of Vancouver in Kitsilano. It's their nicknames -- Ming is Amanda's Chinese name.

The restaurant is a small cozy space that only has 28 seats that is good for set menu dining, and there are two choices, a CAD$54 demi menu and CAD$78 for the chef's menu. You'll be full after the demi menu, that features four courses that we tried.

Kale three ways with soy cured steelhead trout

Our "first bite" was a deep-fried cheese ball topped with Parmesan shavings, inside was a mini lava of cheesy goodness.

Next came our first course of kale salad, with soy cured steelhead trout. The kale was done three ways, crispy, steamed and the ends were pickled. Loved the texture of the dried kale combined with the soft texture of the fish, and seaweed sauce.

The main was quite a large portion -- crispy chicken and oyster with quinoa and rice, broccoli florets and a delicious cauliflower tartare. The medallion-shaped chicken pieces were breaded and deep-fried like a po' boy, though only one piece included a piece of oyster in it. Nevertheless it was a very hearty dish and we could barely finish it.

For dessert, Cheng created a lovely hibiscus pear pavlova. She described it as an upside down pavlova, as the meringue shell was on top of the hibiscus-infused pear. We cracked open the thin meringue shell to find a cream in it and we loved the rose-coloured pear that wasn't too sweet.

For dessert, a delicate hibiscus pear pavlova

We were quite stuffed by the end of it. During our dinner, Cheng also gave us a small sampling of the chef's menu -- a small bun topped with nori that was slightly sweet, slightly savoury, and accompanied with sultry spicy mayo.

Hopefully Mak N Ming will thrive in this hipster neighbourhood, and the evening we went the bookings were already full for 6pm and 6.30pm. They suggested we come at 5pm and we weren't the only diners having an early bird dinner.

The restaurant was named one of the best new restaurants of 2016 and we hope they can settle in at this location and really create some culinary waves.

Mak N Ming

1629 Yew Street

Vancouver
(604) 737 1155

Lunching at Le Crocodile

The signature chocolate petit fours at Le Crocodile

A friend from Hong Kong who visits his family once or twice a year in Vancouver had asked me earlier about eating at French fine dining restaurant Le Crocodile.

He didn't know any friends or relatives here who had eaten there before and even though he wouldn't mind eating there alone, he had wanted to try it and I volunteered to accompany him for lunch.

Delicious lobster bisque topped with creme fraiche and chives

I made the reservation before I arrived in Vancouver to ensure a table and was given the choice of either 11.30am or 1.30pm. I chose the latter so we wouldn't be rushed, but also, other than dim sum or brunch, who eats lunch at 11.30am?

The menu doesn't change much, but there are a number of daily specials to choose from. We decided to stick to the perennial favourites.

My friend had the classic Alsatian onion tart (CAD$11.50) that was a very large slice (I had it last year), and it wasn't too heavy, a touch of ham in it.

I also tried a spoonful of the "Le Crocodile classic" tomato and gin soup (CAD$7.50). It has a wonderful tomato flavour lifted by the gin, making it a refreshing, but also heart-warming soup!

Venison medallions with chanterelles and spatzle

For my starter I had the lobster bisque served with Cognac and topped with creme fraiche and finely chopped chives (CAD$9.50). The flavour was so pungent, though not too rich or thick. Good to the last drop.

Not long afterwards our mains arrived. My friend had the fresh pappardelle pasta served with braised veal cheeks, in a pinot noir reduction and truffle oil (CAD$23). The veal cheeks were so tender a knife was hardly needed to cut through them. The pasta was also delicious, having soaked up the red wine sauce.

I ordered the venison medallions, New Zealand venison that was raised in Duncan, on Vancouver Island, with a rustic chanterelle sauce served with spatzle, an Alsatian/German twisted egg noodle, again perfect to mop up the sauce with.

Fresh pappardelle with braised veal cheeks in a red wine sauce

We heartily enjoyed each bite, appreciating the attention to cooking, the ingredients and the cozy but not too stuffy ambience.

My friend couldn't think of another comparable restaurant in Hong Kong. I suggested perhaps Va Bene in its heyday on D'Aguilar Street, but he wasn't too familiar with the restaurant.

There just aren't many authentic French restaurants, that aren't too formal, and yet not so casual that the staff don't know what they are serving.

We were too full for dessert, but the restaurant still gave us a scoop of delicious pear sorbet accompanied with a giant mint leaf! We also got the signature four chocolate crocodiles.

Refreshing pear sorbet with a mint leaf to finish the meal

I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to walk off the meal! I'm glad my friend had a good impression of the restaurant, and maybe we will start our tradition of meeting up in Vancouver for lunch at Le Crocodile.

Le Crocodile

Suite 100 - 909 Burrard Street

Vancouver

(604) 669 4298

lecrocodilerestaurant.com

Lessons Learned from Rocky Ride

One of 22 passengers on AC 088 who was sent to hospital to treat injuries

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says two investigators are continuing to  look into what happened when severe turbulence hit an Air Canada flight 088 from Shanghai to Toronto where the flight was diverted to Calgary.

Twenty-one passengers were sent to hospital with seriously injuries, while the rest were eventually flown back to Toronto.

Described as "the flight from hell", the 332 passengers and 19 crew experienced 40 minutes of severe turbulence, estimated to be when the plane was over Alaska. Some passengers reported people were thrown out of their seats and hit the ceiling.

At one point oxygen masks came down from the ceiling

If that is the case, then they were the ones who did not wear seat belts. It is believed many of them were probably Chinese.

Several flight attendants have told me over the years how difficult it is to deal with Chinese passengers, particularly from mainland China.

The flight attendants tell stories of parents changing their baby's diapers on the fold down table, or handing plastic cups filled with warm yellow liquid and dirty diapers, and the usual of going to the washroom during turbulence, or jumping out of their seats as soon as the plane touches down.

One who works for a Canadian airline told me today that he has to remind passengers that while he understands they may need to pee, going to the loo while the airplane passes through turbulence puts them at risk.

There was a big mess after the turbulence

He basically said if he was working during severe turbulence like the Air Canada flight, he would not be risking his life to go down the aisle to make sure everyone had their seat belts on. "That's what the seat belt sign is for."

The passengers who were severely injured cannot sue the airline because they were forewarned in Chinese (Putonghua), English and French to wear their seat belts ahead of time.

Hopefully the news of this Air Canada flight will be a strong reminder to all passengers that they really need to buckle up. They aren't necessarily going to fall over, but they might fall out of their chairs and up onto the ceiling...