Beijing's Hidden Gem III

1.2.3? T.R.B? It's Temple Restaurant Beijing. Another hidden gem in Beijing. Even the taxis didn't even want to drive into the restaurant because it's a hassle for them to drive all the way into the alleys and out again without any guests. We had to walk to the restaurant after being dropped off at the main street. The history for this temple is really funny because it was previously a temple which they restored and turned into a restaurant. I kept thinking they served vegetarian food since it is a temple after all.

Let's see... we had the lobster bisque (complimentary), Lyonnaise Style Frisee salad, Orange Fennel Salad, Seafood En Papillotte, Braised Lamb, Panfried Chicken Leg, Asparagus Risotto,  Chocolate Ganache Mousse, Creme Brulle, Pistachio Framboise and Tiramisu. I really loved the location of this restaurant but the food wasn't 5 star, I returned my lamb, it was overcooked despite requesting only medium well and the desserts were way too sweet to our liking. We couldn't finish some of the desserts and had to take home some of it.  All in all it was still quite an experience and would love to come back again because my companions swore that the panfried chicken was out of the world. Haha....

Beijing's Hidden Gem II

What else that was uniquely Beijing this time? French food! Haha.....I know it sounds crazy but the price is pretty crazy too! Meaning, for this level of comfort, service and quality of food, it was between US$20-55 depending on how many course you order with endless supplies of bread and complimentary desserts. Maison Boulud is so hidden that, if you didn't know, you probably wouldn't know. It was located in the former US embassy in Beijing. It was a really great and fun place to do brunch at.

We had the green pea soup, Nicoise salad, escargo, salmon, monk fish, gnocchi, lamb and chocolate molten cake. After we were done, they even served fresh madeline and a platter of macaroons and candies. 

Beijing's Hidden Gem I

When one is in doubt where to eat, one should refer to the... Time Out magazine! I have to admit, it's such a touristy thing to do, to refer to a Time Out magazine to look for eating places in a city filled with such a vast array of food. Especially when we were going towards Nan Luo Gu Xiang. It's blocks after blocks of streets and alleys filled with quaint bars, galleries, trinket shops, souvenirs, food joints and etc. That is precisely why it is interesting to find out what the foreigners are recommending the tourists to try out. Every stalls, be it drinks, desserts, or Beijing yogurt, that were somewhat famous or highly recommended by the locals were packed with crowds. But who knew tucked in a small alley, is this Korean restaurants that uses only organic produces and ingredients.

Ah, what can I say, we always order our favorite - Bibimbap.

Not forgetting japchae.

And..............the star of the meal! Ginseng cage free organic chicken! I know it's crazy to be eating chicken amidst the bird flu but but but....this is really really good. Enough ginseng flavor and the chicken, so tender and sweet. I enjoy meat and I like my meat to be cooked and tasted right! I don't know why I was craving for Gingseng Chicken for the longest time when I heard we were going to eat Korean, my mind was set on this and it sure hit the spot. Ah...that warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

Flowers and Gardens

Somewhat disappointed but not disheartened, we continued our search for cherry blossoms in Beijing! Due to the temperature differences, flowers in Beijing were scheduled to bloom much later. We were very excited to find out that there were still gardens after gardens full of cherry blossoms. How lucky were the Emperors and Empresses to have enjoyed such beauty in their own gardens, not having to fight with the iPhones, iPads and SLRs of those commoners to look at the flowers. 

 

Also, not forgetting the beauty of the royal gardens, so serene and peaceful sans the crowd.

West Lake

This is my 3rd time going to Hang Zhou, and we were lucky enough to be staying right next to the lake. Also, this time, they have an hourly water fountain and light show! So we spent a lot of our time staying in the hotel, enjoying afternoon tea while watching the water and light show :)

This is a funky restaurant right by the lake. Serving local dishes paired with light electronic music. It opens around 11am but within half an hour, there was a minimum half an hour wait. No matter at what time we passed by this place, there was always a huge crowd waiting outside. The name is really cute - The Grandma's and the menus was in the form of a magazine. I can see why this place was super packed, mainly because the price was decent and the portions were huge. Our hungryselves accidentally ordered these amount of food and we pretty much finished all of them!

Let's see...from top left, we ordered the potato and mushroom hot pot, spicy and sour vege fish, pickled radish, dessert (red bead, mango, lotus seeds and sticky rice ball soup), garlic pork slices, spicy cold noodle and lotus root stuffed sweet sticky rice. 

Shanghai 2013

This time we only spent 3 days in Shanghai, apart from visiting the Bund and a few other typical tourist attractions, we went to search for something different; cherry blossoms! Yes, there was a huge cherry blossom festival in Shanghai. 

We read about the cherry blossom festival before we reached Shanghai. Hence, after we got into Shanghai, we immediately arranged a trip to visit the cherry blossom gardens. Unfortunately, we were 1 week late for the cherry blossom festival. 

This was the last batch in the garden...

According to the locals, they bloomed early this year and due to the big wind, there were all gone after  1 week. So, they recommended that we visit the tulip garden instead!

My oh my, a tulip garden in Shanghai ? 

Actually, the garden was quite spectacular. I believe they have all types of tulips and colors featured in the garden and it was also probably the biggest tulip garden outside of Holland. Never had I thought I would be able to see such array of tulips outside of Holland. It was very breathtaking and exciting. The ticket wasn't cheap, but I would say it was worth it, because I get to see such an spectacular tulip garden! :)

Of course we had a great time in Shanghai but what really made this trip memorable were the tulips!

Hong Kong

The first quarter of 2013 had been an eventful one for me, I desperately needed a break to recuperate. Hence, I took a 3 week vacation to the Big Mainland.

 

Where do you get the best dim sum? Hong Kong of course! I went to this local joint and had their daily specials. Do you know that if you look carefully in the menu, there is such a thing as the 1+1 specials. If you didn't notice that little slip, you would probably end up paying for every item. With the 1+1, you pay only half. The dimsum may look the same, but seriously, they tasted different! It's so fresh and flavorful that they melt in your mouth. My most unforgettable item being the steamed brisket with preserved vege. Even the rice tasted so good and the briskets so tender, they melted in my mouth.

My family said, when we're in Hong Kong, we must have one of Hong Kong's best roasted suckling pig. San Dao Kei not only is famous for their wonderful meals but also their unique rooster motived cutleries. 

The skin is not only CCCCCRISPY but also not greasy at all! *crunch crunch crunch* The meat was not only tender but it's buttery. Apparently, I heard they removed all the fat between the meat and the skin. So, you don't have to feel guilty when you it this! *chuckles* 

And of course, the rest of the dishes that we ordered for a table of 14. Deep fried calamari *triple thumbs up*, braised pork knuckles, seafood, vegetables, and many other dishes which I forgot their wonderful names. :)

For those of you who travels around Asia much, you may have heard of Crystal Jade Palace. However, according to many friends and family, this particular branch of Crystal Jade Palace in Shatin is the best. One of their must try, apart from noodles and Xiao Long Bao is the sweet and sour pine nut fish. Haha...we sure do love sweet and sour sauce! I also love their cold noodle in sesame sauce. Even the fried rice (which is not shown here), was also one of the best fried rice we have ever tried! Yuummmsss.....

So, what else did I do in HK besides eating? A little sightseeing here and there and most important of all, after a streak of incidents, I needed some "reassurance", so I visited Wong Tai Xin. It was early in the morning and it was already packed with tourists. I'm sure many asked for fortune amongst other things, I on the other hand, asked for..... (now why would I tell you? :P)