The Big Bite

I find it is relatively hard to find a good burger in Hong Kong.  Hong Kong certainly does have a huge choice for the burger loving crowd but can it really claim to be as tasty as say, a “big Kahuna Burger?”  I’m sure it’d be hard to beat that “cornerstone of every nutritious breakfast!”

However if you are looking for a good burger and have a little time on your hands and are willing to travel away from the SoHo crowds, then pop on over to North Point For a classic ‘tasty burger’ at the Big Bite. Shop 4B, G/F Kar Fu Building 196 – 202 Java Road, North Point.

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For a mere six stops from Central, the MTR will take you to North Point. Where you will find the Big Bite. It’s a classic burger joint, in a relatively random area of Hong Kong. But the few who venture out are in for a a treat. The menu, full of awesome options, that include hot dogs, salads, wings and a host of sides will certainly be enough to warrant repeated visits. And with a crew that is very willing in helping you to achieve the ultimate burger, there is a pretty good chance you will be able to eat exactly what you want.

A good burger is important.  It has to be juicy, the meat has to be fresh, the bun toasted just a bit and the toppings cannot over take the power of the awesomeness of the beef.  The Big Bite somehow still managed to do that over all the stuff i had in my burger. My burger included double bacon, cheese and raw red onions topped with BBQ sauce and over all of that, you could still taste the beef.  Excellent i say, exactly how it should be.

My companions chose to have a chili dog which also looked insanely appetizing.  enough that i definitely want to go back to try that again.

With unlimited drinks from the fountain, you are sure to get your money’s worth for the food here.  Aside from the fact that you have to make it a small trip, I honestly think it is well worth it.  Hong Kong does have it’s fair share of burger joints, with your Tripple O’ss, BLT Burger, Fat Burger, Moster Burger and Freshness Burger to name a few and they are good too, I may do a general burger review one day, but Big Bite now holds a special place on the top that list. So “doot” your way over to Quarry Bay and get your hands, if they’re big enough, on a juicy meaty meal from The Big Bite!

Jon

Yuzu – The Gardens KL

Japanese food to me is one of the great cuisines in the world.  As this blog says I love food.  There is no cuisine that I really dislike.  And honestly I’d pretty much eat any style of food, though I am pretty choosy with what I might actually eat. However if anyone suggest Japanese food, I’m pretty much there right away.

Japanese food is pretty hard to screw up, unless you are the Japanese stall in the Pasir Ris hawker centre by Wild Wild Wet in Singapore, where the simple task of a chicken teriyaki is atrocious (teriyaki sauce was clear (major red flag!). Lots of places get it right, but few get it perfect.  And by perfect I do mean that brilliant balance between, traditional and modernity. Between taste and look.  Where food is an artform, waiting to be devoured.

Yuzu is one of those places. Tucked in a corner in The Gardens mall in Kuala Lumpur, Yuzu is one of those places.  The staff are courteous, the decor is brilliant and food here is excellent.  They certainly have that nice touch where everything that comes out is a thing of beauty. You almost want to spend a bit of time looking at it but your mouth will start watering so much that you just have to pick up your chopsticks and eat it.

This places oozes charm and is just a wonderful setting.  Filled with lots of wooden structures and wide open spaces, it doesn’t feel crowded at all.  Everywhere you look you see people smiling and enjoying themselves and one whiff of the air, instantly galvanises the senses and rumbles your tummy

The moment you sit down, a very polite waiter hands you the menu and you are instantly drawn in by the photos of food and have begun the steps of antisocial behavior one associates with a really starved human being. But it’s cause everything looks so darn good! We were two people that day but that didn’t stop us from ordering waaay too much food. I just had to try as much as I could and my company was just as obliging.

Shrimp Tempura: Many places over batter and deep fry the tempura and you lose a lot of the flavour however Yuzu keeps theirs lightly battered, very fresh and very sweet. This was done perfectly.

Grilled Beef: I’ve seen this dish done many times, and it’s hard to get right. Gotta make sure the beef is not over cooked. This was done just right, but we had to eat it fast, cause it was starting to get overcooked. My one complain was that the beef didn’t have that much flavor but its quality was brilliant.

Scallops: Grilled with a bit of wine and butter and baked with some cheese. This was so tasty. So subtle but the flavor was an explosion in your mouth. The sauce is drinkable and you will want more afterwards.

Grilled Chicken:  The same as the beef, this one had a bit more sauce to it and it was brilliant.  It had more of a flavour and the meat was incredibly tender. I’m not a huge fan of chicken breasts, but this one was awesome. If you kept it cooking on the stone, it would have been just as tender but it disappeared pretty quickly. There might have been a fight over the last piece.

We couldn’t get away without trying some of their special rolls that sounded so good, so we got two, and though it upped our full meter a bit, but it was well worth the effort.  I would have had more if i didn’t have the desire to also try other things. On the left we had a Eel and I believe Tuna Roll, while on the right we had a Soft Shelled Crab Roll.

And to top it off we decided to go for some cold Udon Noodles. Now I am not usually  really into them cause they are a lot more filling than their dark green cousin the Soba noodles, but these looked too good to pass off. The sauce was a little salty but the raw quail egg and the delicate nature of the noodles was brilliant.  Not too thick and not too filling. A fitting way to end the meal.

Yuzu get’s a right.  This is the type of place, where you woo that client, bring that girl or where Japanese business men go to get their fix of sake and food. And it’s surprisingly reasonable and very comfortable.  Attention to detail, presentation, quality and taste here are second to none. Whether its fine dining or casual eating, look no further.

Jon

Tai Lei Pork Chop Bun

People normally go to Macau for two things: Food and gambling.

A quiet getaway in Macau is not impossible, but seeing that the hustle and bustle there, is not much better than that of Hong Kong I would advise against it, only exorbitant amounts of money will get you any quiet.

But it is for the first reason and the fact that it’s only an hour away by boat, that I have made repeated trips to Macau.

Now there are many places in Macau, that will tickle your taste buds, and the prices range from the outrageously cheap to the extravagantly decadent. However there is one place that sticks out for me, quite often more times than others. Those familiar with the territory will say Fernando’s, but for me it is this rickety place called Tai Lei at the Taipa district.

Rickety doesn’t mean that it will be dirty. With menu items not getting more expensive than 35 Hong Kong dollars, it’s a good deal for a good meal and can be a filling meal.

But there is one item that everyone goes for: The Pork Chop Bun. Quite simply it is a marinated pork chop, sandwiched by a hot toasted buttered roll. It is a daily event that many locals and tourists from around the world descend on this little eatery to indulge in.

At about 3pm, the kitchen starts churning out these goodies for all who have arrived, and they are fantastic. At $15 a pop, they are a great fix for a snack. Throw in a bowl of their noodles or curry fishballs and you got yourself a fantastic meal to last you a while.

But a warning to those going on the weekend, you might have to show up a little earlier. Usually at around 2:30 a line starts forming around the restaurant, and by 2:45 it has begun to wrap itself around the outside of the place.

But no matter how hot, no matter how long, a Tai lei Pork Chop bun is perfection in a bite sized sandwich and well worth the wait.

Transportation:

TAXI: Just say, Tai Lei, Tum Zai (Chinese for TaiPa) and the driver should know.

MINIBUS:The 28A minibus picks up in front of the Ferry Terminal, and drops you off right in front of the restaurant. But just incase you are worries about missing it, tell the driver the same thing.

A New Direction

I have decided that I wanted to change the direction of my blog to something entirely new.

It has been a while since I have been here, and writing here. But I have had this idea for a while and after a friend inspired me to do this, I felt like that now is the right time to be doing this.  I needed to do this, to keep my brain stimulated.

I love food, and I go around Hong Kong enough, that I have enough obscure choices for food, and I enjoy some good range of food.And though the terrible food, isn’t all that bad sometimes, Hong Kong really has the perfect mixture of cuisines, and cultures to make it a crazy food paradise.Whatever you want Japanese, American, French, Italian, you can get it for real cheap or really ludicrous prices and it is still fantastic.

Though I completely understand that food is a subjective and very personal thing, and not everyone likes the food that I like, but so far, in my experiences, my friends have all loved the restaurants that I have taken them too, regardless of how dodgy the place looks, or how posh.

You don’t have to believe me, you can choose to take my recommendations, but this is something I enjoy and just something I want to share with y’all.

So I am going to take my Masters degree in Journalism, and combine it with something I love. This is something exciting, and I hope to have some fun, and at the same time, bring each of you a new experience.

Watch this space, Coming Soon.

Jonathan Lee.