SAEMAEUL Sikdang by chef Paik Jong-won (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

When Chef Paik Jong-won (白種元), one of the two judges on the popular Netflix series 'Culinary Class Wars', first announced he’d be opening a new restaurant in Hong Kong, the news got me immediately intrigued. I kept tabs on the development and a few months ago, SAEMAEUL Sikdang finally opened its doors in Tsim Sha Tsui.

After meeting my hair stylist in the area, I decided to swing by at 2pm. Not surprisingly, the restaurant wasn't all that busy at that hour.

Banchan, or small dishes got things started for me. The lotus root, I thought was crunchy, delicately sweet and full of flavor. The eggplant wasn't bad either.

Yeoltan Bulgogi (火炭烤豬肉) ($119) – My server finally got me all set up with my soy-marinated thinly sliced pork.

I was told to just roll the sliced pork on the grill and "stir-fry (炒)" it. That sounds easy even for a guy like me with zero cooking experience.

The smell of meat sizzling over charcoal never disappoints. It added a smoky, mouthwatering aroma that made the whole experience even more intriguing.

Tteok Ramyeon (年糕拉麵) ($69) – Some starch to go with my thinly sliced pork.

This was pretty delicious. Less spicy than I thought and Paik Jong Won's chewy noodles and

secret spicy soup base worked wonders with the charcoal grilled pork.

I’m glad I finally got to cross this one off my list. I can definitely see myself coming back, maybe next time with friends to try more dishes.

Food Rating: 5.8/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 101, 1/F, Multifield Plaza, 3-7 Prat Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 9238-5375

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 5:00pm - 11:00pm daily

Jade Flame Hotpot Lab Kaledo 翠焱火鍋 南山嘉樂道概念店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

After having lunch at One Avenue (卓悦中心), we decided to head over to Houhai (后海), a dynamic and rapidly developing district in Shenzhen that's known as a commercial, cultural, and lifestyle hub.

Our first stop was Kaledo (嘉樂道), a newly restored space that’s part of Baoli Culture Square (保利文化廣場), located next to the Baoli Theatre (保利劇院) and the lively Coastal City Shopping Centre (海岸城購物中心).

Spanning three floors, Kaledo has an industrial vibe that sets it apart from most shopping malls in Shenzhen. It feels fresh, edgy and a little unconventional.

While little guy wandered off to check out the fashion stores, I took the opportunity to scout out our dinner options since we were likely to eat here later.

That’s when I discovered Jade Flame (翠焱火鍋), a Sichuan-style hotpot restaurant with a rainforest theme. 

Walking to our table honestly felt like a mini jungle trek, which was a fun and immersive touch.

Eventually, after a long walk through the lush decor, we arrived at our table. 

Like most hotpot restaurants in Mainland China, the sauce station here was entirely self-serve.

As expected from a Sichuan-style place, there were plenty of spicy condiments like dried chili, chili oil, and chili powder.

Thanks to some diligent work on Dianping (大众点评), I found a great deal: a set menu for two priced at just ¥147, which felt like a steal. 

Since none of us were super hungry, we figured the two-person set should be enough for the three of us.

Double-flavored hotpot (鴛鴦鍋) – We went with this double-flavored hotpot with two kinds of broth. While our server suggested that we went with one spicy flavor, we ended up taking two non-spicy broth, including tomato (蕃茄湯) and wild mushroom (鮮菌湯).

Duck blood (鮮鴨血) – First up, duck blood. The bright red color was a bit intimidating at first, but it turned out to be pretty tasty.

Crispy beef tripe and duck intestines (毛肚拼鴨腸) – Both were very very crunchy. Not bad.

Luncheon meat and meatballs (多肉火腿、香草貢菜丸) – The luncheon meat was a crowd pleaser as always. I didn't like the texture of the meatballs. Didn't finish them.

Tender beef (嫩牛肉) – Personally, I prefer those hand-sliced beef for hotpot. These were obviously cut by the machines and not surprisingly, way too thin for my liking.

Seasonal vegetable platter (時菜拼盤) – One of the few highlights of the meal. Fresh and satisfying.

Scallion pancake (蔥油餅) – Another bright spot. I liked the fact that they came piping hot from the kitchen.

Other than the bargain price we got from dianping, there wasn't a lot to cheer about from this meal. That said, I really liked the rainforest theme and the ambiance of the place. Maybe with a larger group next time, the experience might be more enjoyable.

Food Rating: 4.9/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address:  Shop L3-10, Level 3 Kaledo, No.4 Wenxin Road, Nanshan, Guangzhou, China

深圳市南山区后海文心六路4号嘉乐道L3层L3-10号铺

Closest Metro Station: Houhai (后海)

Tel: +86 (755) 8656-7776

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 2:00am daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/71/5Mbk

Super Banana 超級香蕉 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

After lunch, we took the subway to Nantou Ancient City (南頭古城) for a relaxing tour of the walled city in the heart of Shenzhen that dated back to 1394. The local government has really done a nice job restoring the area and transforming it into a charming lifestyle and entertainment hub. While modern residential buildings still surround the area, several pieces of ancient architecture remain beautifully preserved.

Take this ancient courtroom, for instance.

It instantly brought back a flood of memories from those classic Stephen Chow movies!

The streets are now lined with trendy cafés and restaurants, blending old-world charm with modern flair.

We decided to check out one of the small bakery shops on an alley by the name of Super Banana (超級香蕉), known for its banana-shaped banana cake (香蕉燒). 

This came in all kinds of interesting flavors. Beyond the original banana flavor, there were chocolate mochi, taro purée, taro cheese, taro with pork floss, purple sweet potato, and even durian.

There was a short lineup when I arrived, which gave me the perfect chance to watch the chef in action. First, she carefully poured the banana-flavored flour into the mold. 

Then carefully added a dollop of banana purée into the center.

After a five-minute wait, they were ready to be served. The banana cake was served in an adorable little plastic container shaped like a banana ; a fun and playful touch that made the treat even more memorable. 🍌🍌

I absolutely loved the texture of this banana cake. It was slightly crispy on the outside but soft and moist inside with the runny banana purée waiting to burst! For $9, that was a huge find! And mom was asking why I didn't buy more of these to share among the five of us.

Nantou Ancient Town turns out to be a lot of more fun than we expected. I would most definitely come back, especially to support the local vendors who work so hard in the community.

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: ¥

Address: No.72-1, Nantou Ancient City, Chaoyang South Street, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市南山区南头古城朝阳南街 72-1号

Closest Metro Station: Nantou Ancient City (南头古城)

Tel: +86 (755) 15581237850

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/b3/wAAk

Tao Tao Ju One Avenue 陶陶居 卓悦中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I didn’t realize it but somebody just told me that it’s a long weekend here in Mainland China. I guess this explained the huge lineups in front of restaurants. We were heading to Tao Tao Ju (陶陶居) for lunch as usual but even with our online ticket, we ended up waiting more than half an hour for our table.

Luckily, we know the dim sum menu inside out so it didn’t take long for us to decide what we wanted to order.

Steamed red rice rolls with crispy prawn (錦綉海鮮紅米腸粉) (¥36) – Lately, this has been a fixture whenever we visit TTJ. The fluffy red rice rolls worked well with the crispy prawn inside so not surprisingly, it’s been a fan favorite here of late.

Signature Hong Kong style milk tea (招牌港式奶茶) (¥22) – It was pretty muggy today so something to cool myself off. Yeah, I haven’t had my caffeine fix too.

Tao Tao Ju jumbo prawn dumpling (陶陶居大蝦餃) (¥36) – Another must-order item here. This was very delicate as always.

Stir-fried rice rolls with beef briskets (牛腩啫珍珠腸) (¥36) – Some of the rice rolls came a little burnt today but little nugget loved the extra smoky flavors he said!

Pan-fried turnip cake (香煎蘿蔔糕) (¥26) – Pretty nice.

Glutinous rice chicken with abalone (原隻鮑魚糯米雞) (¥30) –Our first time having the glutinous rice chicken here and I thought it was alright. 

The glutinous rice was pretty nice and soft but I thought it could’ve used a bit more sauce and a richer mix of ingredients.

Braised beef brisket and radish in Chu Hou sauce (柱侯牛腩炆蘿蔔) (¥39) –Little one was still hungry so I ordered this just for him. He’s a sucker for braised radish so it would be the perfect choice for me. Personally, I thought this was OK but the Chu Hou sauce could be a little more savory and less sweet. 

As I’ve said a few times before, we never came away disappointed at Tao Tao Ju. It’s the main reason why we could tolerate the 30-minute wait.

Food Rating: 6.7/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address:  Shop L233, East Zone, Level 2 One Avenue, Fuhua Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区福华路卓悦中心商场东区L233

Closest Metro Station: Gangxia (岗厦)

Tel: +86 (755) 8299-8870

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/39/WOi

Café Landmark (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

One high-end (sort of) restaurant in Hong Kong I had never had the pleasure of visiting until now is the iconic Café Landmark at LANDMARK HK in Central. Once the place to see and be seen in the heart of the city, it still holds its charm despite the ever-changing clientele and a consistently hefty price tag.

Since I happened to be in the area accompanying mom to see a specialist, I finally decided to step in and experience it for myself.

I finally got my caffeine fix at 11:30am.

I wasn't really all that hungry so instead of the set, I went with something from the a la carte menu – classic Beef Stroganoff with rice (俄國牛柳絲飯). This came with a ton of beef strips, mushrooms and sliced asparagus, all drizzled in that rich tomato-based sauce.

The drink and dish I tried this morning reminded me of another old institution in Hong Kong, one that I used to visit very often – Queens Cafe (皇后飯店). Too bad it's no longer there for me at Festival Walk (又一城).

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$$

Address: Shop 107-108, 1/F, Landmark Atrium, 15 Queen's Road, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Tel: +852 2526-4200

Opening Hours: 8:00am - 9:00pm (Mon - Sat), 9:00am - 9:00pm (Sun)

Po Lin Monastery Restaurant 寶蓮禪寺齋堂 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

After a quick stroll through Ngong Ping Village (昂坪市集), it was time to get down to business.

At first glance, the long staircase leading up to the Big Buddha (天壇大佛) looked a little intimidating for little nugget (just look at his face!) but since there’s no admission fee required here, we all decided to take part in the climb together.

I’ve visited this place a few times before and vaguely remembered racing up these stairs with my cousins. Unfortunately, those were the pre-smartphone days, so no photos or videos to capture the "Kodak moments".

Despite my bad back, I managed the climb without breaking a sweat! Of course, I had to snap a few photos to commemorate this special moment.

After successfully conquering the Big Buddha, we hopped over to Po Lin Monastery (寶蓮禪寺) for a quick visit. 

The plan was to have a very early dinner at 4:30pm at their restaurant serving simple vegetarian dishes.

I remembered dining here on a couple of occasions before, although previously it was at their casual canteen next door. It was a more budget-friendly cafeteria-style spot (no tablecloths). This time around, we decided to check out Po Lin Monastery Restaurant (寶蓮禪寺齋堂) which offered a more comfortable setting. At $150 per adult (kids eat free), I found the price to be quite reasonable.

Red and green radish soup with corn (紅青蘿蔔粟米湯) – The famous soup of the day is red and green radish soup with corn. The flavors were rich and deep as if it’s been double-boiled.

Deep-fries spring roll (脆皮春卷) – Of course, this is a vegetarian version with no meat or seafood, just strips of vegetables in the middle. Not bad.

Stir-fried asparagus with assorted mushrooms and cashew nuts (碧綠如意炒) – I liked the fact that this came with all kinds of vegetables, not just asparagus (as listed on the menu). There were green beans, bell peppers, celery, and more, making it colorful and tasty.

Stir-fried black mushrooms with vegetables (花菇扒時菜) – Little nugget loved this thanks to the mild abalone-style sauce that complemented the mushroom and cabbage nicely.

Deep-fried bean curd sheets with lemon sauce (西檸鮮竹片) – A clever vegetarian twist on the classic Cantonese lemon chicken (西檸雞). The sweet and tangy sauce, and the super tender bean curd combined for a nice refreshing dish for the summer. By far, my favorite dish this afternoon.

After the meal, we took a relaxing walk around the monastery grounds. Thankfully, it was a bit cloudy making the summer heat somewhat bearable.

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Po Lin Monastery, Ngong Ping Road, Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tung Chung

Tel: +852 2985-4736

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 4:30pm daily