My 2011 Great Finds (&Recommendations)

1. La Mer cream
Awesome for very dry skin.

2. Top Chef (reality TV show)
My favorite TV show, it is really impressive the creative dishes these professional chefs can whip up given short time limits.

3. Valencia, Spain (side trip destination in Spain)
I adore Spain, and I have been to some of the most popular cities. A business trip took me to Valencia, a relatively smaller city, and I loved how bohemian it was while still offering plenty of interesting architecture to admire.

4. Shiseido Tsubaki shampoo, conditioner, treatment and conditioning spray
Truly impressive results I had never experienced - my sun damaged hair became shiny and manageable. It was like miracle.

5. Shiseido Integrate swivel eyeliner/ shadow in golden brown color
My friend recommended this product to me in Japan drugstore. It glides on smoothlJy, no smearing for hours, and can be blended to work like an eye shadow. It's a beautiful product. My "HG".

6. Marks & Spenser thermo underwear line and heat-generating black leggings
Warm, nice looking and extremely comfortable, I cannot live without them in the winter. I wear them to sleep, and sometimes underneath my sweaters when I go out. As for the black leggings - they are soft like silk and very slimming. Suggest to buy one to two sizes larger than your normal size so the fabric stretches less and looks more black.

7. Sleepnaked.com for online bed linen
At such affordable prices, the bed linen is soft and smooth, of top hotel quality. Delivery is also extremely fast.

8. Boho-Betty.com for cute beaded wrap bracelets

9. Earl Grey martini at 001 Bar (Wellington Street x Graham Street)
It's one of my favorite hangouts, a quiet but quaint bar with a secret entrance in the wet market. No door sign. Just a black door. No photos allowed inside.

10. Gianicolo Trail in Rome
Very nice walk with a great view of Rome. Loved it.

11. Kiehl's original musk fragrance and body lotion
I feel so innocent when I have that scent on me!

12. Fragonard perfume, Paris
I was staying in this very charming boutique hotel where they supplied guests with the Fragonard fig scented toiletries. I fell in love with the scent, researched the brand, and dashed to the Fragonard museum to look for it - sacrificing a longer visit to the Louvre.

13. Crepes in Rue Montparnasse, Paris
Quite a few good creperies in this street.

14. Moka stovetop espresso machines
After making good coffee at home myself, I had trouble drinking bad coffee in restaurants.

15. Unforgettable brigadeiro made by my Brazilian friend, Marianne
It's a special Brazilian sweet made with condensed milk and cocoa powder. I love it way more than chocolate.

16. Amazing molten chocolate pudding in Sirocco restaurant, Soho

17. Po Toi Island for a nice island hike
Totally undeveloped island, it is a great way to spend a day away from the city.

18. A few true java outlets in Sheung Wan for a nice coffee in a quaint neighborhood
Honestly, I don't even remember the name of the place I went to. But, I read that Cafe Loisl is another special one.

19. Shore bone-in cowboy rib steak
Steak heaven!

20. Oolaa, best brunch restaurant / cafe in Hong Kong to spend a lazy afternoon
Love the all day brunch menu. Love the leather sofas. Love the space!

New Toy - iPad 2

After months of consideration, I finally got my iPad 2 and I really like it!

I thought it'd be basically just a bigger version of iPhone 4, and while it is in a way, there's also other pros as well. There's various apps which really make the whole browsing experience very cool. For me, blogging is also a key use of the device, and it is so much easier on the iPad (even better with the wireless keyboard I got).

So I gotta run now - busy checking out which magazines are cool to read and on sale :)

Sleep Naked - Luxury Hotel Bed Linen Delivered to Your Home

For those of you living in Hong Kong and searching for silky smooth bed linen - 5 Star hotel style - at affordable prices, I highly recommend SleepNaked.com

To be honest, I don't know if people who go to bed in PJs (fully clothed) can actually feel the difference in luxury versus regular bed linen.  For those who do sleep naked, it makes a huge difference, speaking from experience.

This brand and online shopping service is awesome because the white bed linen really is of high quality (400 thread count for the plain and corded styles, 100% mercerized long staple cotton percale, sateen finish), prices are very affordable, there is no shipping fee for central areas (not rural) in Hong Kong and China, and the shipment arrives within a couple of days.  Mine arrived 2 days after I placed the order online!

There is only a few styles to choose from, in different sizes, but that's okay with me.  The plainness actually makes my bed look very clean and elegant.  I can always use cushions to decorate my bed.  While they have special sets (4 pillowcases, 1 fitted/ flat sheet, 1 duvet cover), I suggest you check the measurements of your bed first, in case you need to buy separately.  I did, because my duvet size was for double bed, yet my queen size mattress needs a king size fitted sheet as per measurements shown on the site.  Also,  I do not need 4 pillowcases.

They also sell towels, bath robes and pillows as well.  My next planned purchase is a foam pillow, 2 pillowcases and fitted sheet.... and maybe another duvet cover (as my dog chewed on it and it now has a big hole!!).

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!  It makes me feel like I am sleeping in heaven :)

annah h - HK Designer of custom-made uniquely sophisticated workwear, bridal & event wear, casual wear

Hannah is the designer behind the annah h label - one of my best kept secrets in Hong Kong!

I've known Hannah for years and had my first custom-made dress designed by her in 2008, to attend a friend's wedding in New York.  It was a long mint green chiffon dress, flawlessly made, fitted perfectly in the first fitting, and totally complemented my style.

Since then, Hannah has designed bridesmaid dresses for my friend's wedding, chic work and leisure wear for me.  Our latest project was some work + leisure wear as shown in picture on the left.  Boring black-from-head-to-toe and pant suits are not my style, so I asked for brighter colored fabric with a design that does not sacrifice elegance and sophistication.  I think I also asked for versatility - to be able to wear these clothes not just to work, but also to a fancy date (not that I have any yet), an afterwork event, or a nice dinner.  These clothes perfectly match my needs.  Paired with a different belt or accessories, I can easily achieve a different look!

I genuinely believe that every female needs to have a trusted dressmaker design some special pieces for her.  Please do not confuse this with going to Shenzhen/ Lo Woo to make clothes copying some branded designs.  I am talking about a designer with a point of view, good taste, and excellent knowledge of what flatters your body shape and style.  It makes a difference having a piece of special clothing made that stems from your desires (wish list), and married with your designer's technical advice and creativity.  Hope you also get to experience this special feeling when wearing a custom-made outfit made to bring out your unique style!

annah h

Email: h@annahh.com

Tel: +852 36266026  (by appointment only)

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/annah-h/70103209371

Website: http://www.annahh.com

Loveramics

Long overdue recommendation:  Loveramics.  For my Christmas party's gift exchange, I decided to shop for some special homeware, so I headed to Loveramics for the first time, after hearing about it from other blogs.

The shop is tucked away in a small street in Sheung Wan, off Hollywood Road.  It's the perfect place to buy smart and chic design homeware without a price tag which would give you a heart attack.  I think it's a great place to shop for gift-shopping, if the recipient likes tasteful lifestyle products.  The shop name may be slightly misleading - while it does have a good collection of beautiful ceramic products, they also carry other non-ceramic products.

What I love about the shop is that it surprised me with very smartly design products which are not just pretty to look at, but equally smart in its functions.  I bought myself a ceramic pot with a collapsible silicone lid, which is meant to be perfect for steaming, stewing, or shabu shabu, with the lid's height adjustable to control the heat insulation.  I still haven't tried it out yet, but the idea of it seemed very cool to me :)

It was a small shop, but I still managed to spend more than an hour deciding between many products.  Trust you will enjoy it too.

http://www.loveramics.com/

37 Tung St, 174 Hollywood Road, Central, HK

Opening Hours: 

Hong Kong Concept Store

Tue - Wed 12:00 - 18:00

Thu - Fri 12:00 - 19:00

Weekends 11:00 - 19:00

Mondays closed

Tel: (852) 2915 8018

Dress Warm and Slim for the Cold Weather

Hong Kong's temperature has suddenly dropped from yesterday afternoon's 20C to today's 8C.  Having lived in a very cold country before, 8C doesn't scare me but I have to admit that without central heating in Hong Kong, plus the high humidity, 8C does feel much colder than it is. 

It amuses me to see short women dressed in thick, shapeless down jacket, and buried under layers and layers of clothing.  Today, I went to work wearing just 3 layers - a wool coat, a cashmere wide neck top, and a thermal camisole.  I felt very warm already.  OK, I did have a soft scarf as well.  Still, that was a lot fewer layers than others and my clothing was still flattering and slimming!

I think women need to learn to buy fewer quantities but invest in quality clothing.  It's pointless trying to layer with cotton or polyester sweaters because that wouldn't keep them warm!  What they need is warm and light fabric!  Do invest in some cashmeres for winter, and add a form fitting thermal wear underneath for added warmth. Marks & Spencer has a great selection of thermal wear and some items look quite pretty, like the camisoles with lace.  Thermal doesn't mean ski wear!  I used to imagine thick black liners but they are nothing like that!  Check it out, really.  You won't regret it.  They also have thermal tights which are perfect if you are going to snowy places.

More iPhone 4 camera and photo editing apps

Two months ago I wrote about the various iPhone 4 compatible camera apps.  Since then I've experimented with a few more apps, some being camera apps, some being photo editing apps.  I'd like to share them here today.

So last time I recommended Hipstamatic, LENSES, LOFI, Polarize, Color Splash, True HDR, and ToonCamera.  My latest camera app favourite is LOMO.  Cos it's very easy to use, fakes a vignette, and you can either choose a normal output versus various color effects (which I rarely use unless I am going for a more artistic feel).

The Victoria Prison collage on the left was also created (on my PC using Picasa 3) with snapshots taken with LOMO app.  Since the prison was very eerie, I used quite a lot of the effects I normally wouldn't use to "beautiful" a scary prison.  It is amazing despite low light and not using a flash, the colors really pop!

Apart from camera apps, I do use some fun apps to edit my iPhone snapshots on the iPhone.  My favourites are PhotoFunia, PS Express and Comic Strip.

PhotoFunia doesn't actually edit your pictures.  It combines your picture with a selected funny background (see below):

PS Express is a simplified version of Photoshop.  You can do simple cropping, enhancing brightness, saturation, etc., and you can add borders/frames to your pictures.  There are also a few photo effects but I am not a big fan.

Comic Strip is a fun app.  You can use a few pictures to form like a comic strip and add shout outs to your pictures.

Finally, I have a doodling app called Doodle Buddy which is fun to use for simple drawings or to use it to insert some text boxes to a pictures.  

Drawing for myself

A card for my friend

 Have fun!  I think most of these apps are free, but please check with iTunes.

Pamper Yourself: Aesop Ginger Root Soap Slab

Went to Aesop shop with my friend and by chance I learned about this soap bar which smells heavenly!  The one I got was Ginger Root Soap Slab, it smells like mix of ginger, lavender and geranium - very invigorating as if you just came out of a spa.  Costs a little over HKD100 for a huge slab, you can cut it into smaller blocks to use.  It's costly to go to a spa in the city every week, but for about $100 I can take many daily spa-scented relaxing showers!  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

DETOUR 2010: Victoria Prison Open to Public

Was walking around Soho with Candy looking for art galleries today, when we walked by Victoria Prison in Old Bailey Street and noticed it was open to public visits.  So we walked in.

It was Detour 2010 - Victoria Prison open day with art exhibition, creative workshops, and art fair.  The event runs from Nov 26 to Dec 12, 2010.  For details, please visit http://www.detour.hk/.

It was an interesting tour around this historical, colonial building.  While it was certainly exciting in a very eerie way checking out the prison house, the various modern art exhibits were visually stimulating and creative.  There was also an interactive painting workshop allowing anyone to pick up a pot of paint and a paintbrush to help complete the project.  It was my first time in 20 years picking up a paintbrush and I certainly enjoyed the fun.

With more and more art & heritage events happening in town, there's no longer excuses for anyone to stay home on weekends and complain that Hong Kong is boring.

Pao de Queijo - Brazilian Cheesebread

The past weekend was such a lovely one with a dear friend in town, to just chill and enjoy doing nothing together.

One of the "nothings" that we did was baking pao de queijo (Brazilian cheesebread) with the mix I had at home.

It was such "saudade" (roughly means sweet nostalgia in this context) when we enjoyed the freshly baked pao de queijo - dry and slightly crispy crust,  slightly moist, soft, chewy inside with a mild cheese flavor.....  It wasn't exactly the same as the homemade ones in Brazil, but it was close enough for a packaged mix.  I loved eating it just plain, but adding some butter, sugar, and cinnamon to the center surprisingly turned it into a very delicious sweet treat!

I will try the next batch with some parmesan cheese mixed in for more cheese flavor and chewy texture.  If you ever happen to visit Brazil or can get hold of these packaged mixes in your local Brazilian grocery shop, do try it!

Book Recommendation: Sh*t My Dad Says

I've been given a book recently, called Sh*t My Dad Says, written by Justin Halpern.  It is among the funniest books I have ever read.  I don't think it's one of those books you try to learn something from, it's more for a good laugh, many many good laughs!  It is a book of quotes from the writer's dad who has been super blunt to his son even at a young age.  The son grew up, quoted his dad on Twitter on a regular basis, and became quite famous with a lot of followers who found the quotes extremely amusing.
 
Without spoiling the book for you, here's just two of many quotes:

 "You are four years old. You have to shit in the toilet. This is not one of those negotiations where we'll go back and forth and find a middle ground. This ends with you shitting in a toilet."

When the author was in university, his dad said to him one day, "All I ask is that you pick up your shit so you don't leave your bedroom looking like it was used for a gang bang. Also, sorry that your girlfriend dumped you."

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Chocolate Indulgence: VERO Lounge (Pictures)

I wrote about Vero Lounge (Chocolate Indulgence: VERO Lounge, Hong Kong) some time ago but that time my phone camera's flash was too weak to take any pictures.  I went again last night - still without my DSLR camera - and took a few cute snapshots of the beautiful hot chocolate and the little chocolate gallery.  Hope this can entice you to pay a visit in person and experience it yourself.  Please DO call (25595882) before going to make sure they are not closed for any private events.

                                                                                                                                                  

More on iPhone 4: Camera Apps

Recently I travelled to Singapore with my iPhone 4 and it was such joy!  With web surfing made so easy with iPhone, and the phone camera having good resolution (for phone camera), I was constantly seeking out Free Wi-Fi spots to surf the net, Whatsapp with my friends in Hong Kong, and uploading pictures to Facebook.  Never before did I have a phone so perfect for traveling.

In particular it was extremely useful taking snapshots of Google Map, as the resolution was good enough for me to blow it up on the phone to zoom into smaller streets.  You know how expensive it could be to real time data roam overseas, using Google Map.

Taking snapshots with this phone was also tons of fun.  Since I didn't go to Singapore for any expectation of sceneries or interesting things to shoot with a proper camera, I did not bring any cameras at all.  The whole time I only used the various camera apps I loved:

Hipstamatic - an imitation of film photography with option of different lenses, flashes and films

LENSES - other fun special pre-set effects to choose from

LOFI - an imitation of slide film & cross processing effect

Polarize - an imitation of polaroid photos, very contrast and saturation, good for well-lit lighter colored subjects

Color Splash - making selected parts of a photo with colors, and rest in black & white

TrueHDR - a better camera app than the default, this allows users to take pictures with better control of exposure, allowing more details in both bright and dark areas of the picture

After the trip I also got an app called ToonCamera which cartoonizes pictures:

You probably did not notice:  I did not tag any of these blog posts with "i Shoot Photos" because I am a conservative and do not consider phone camera "photography" photography.  These are fun apps, no doubt, but imitating Lomo does not make it a Lomo picture.  It bothers me when I see some non-close friends on facebook calling their fake Lomo iphone pictures "lomo".

Hope you enjoy these camera apps as well!

Singapore Fav Food, Shopping & Play

Spent a few days in Singapore to visit good friends.  It wasn't a typical touristy trip, as the intention was mostly to spend time with my friends there, rather than going to all the tourist spots.  Still, I managed to revisit a few of my all-time favourites in Singapore, and discover new ones.

FOOD

• My Little Spanish Place - as its name suggests it's a small Spanish restaurant with very nice tapas
• Three Wombats Cafe - a small cafe on Kim Keat Road serving nice coffee, good breakfast, wonderful ca.esar salad, and peach cheesecake
• Icecream waffle sandwich vendor on Orchard Road near TANGS
• 211 Roof Terrance Cafe in Holland Village.  Food is alright, but drinks not that great.  It is a nice oasis on the rooftop of Holland Village Shopping Center.
• Lau Pa Sat - for years I loved Fatman Satay (Stall #1 and 2) but this time I tried Traditional Satay (Stall #3 and 4) and I actually liked it better.  I think mutton and duck are both particularly good.
• PS.Cafe is a nice brunch restaurant set in a very green, park environment.  I loved the whole atmosphere even though the food is mediocre and overpriced.
• Newton Hawker Center is NOT my favourite.  I prefer Lau Pa Sat, East Coast, and Maxwell.  Regardless, I always love sugar cane juice with lemon.
• Founder Bakuteh was alright.  It's very peppery and I think I prefer the Malaysian herbal version of Bakuteh more.
• Ion Shopping Center's food court was pretty nice, with large variety of food choices and a clean environment.  I loved that they had a wash basin for customers to wash their hands in the middle of the food court.
• Bengawan Solo is always my favourite for Indonesian cakes and desserts.  I often buy pandan cake at the airport both on arrival and departure.

SHOPPING
I love shopping in Singapore (even more if the exchange rate is more favourable).  I just always manage to find things to buy there.  A few of my favourites:

• TANGS is always my first stop.  I love the earring and accessories brand, Metalli, and I often bought more than 3 or 4 pairs of earrings each time I visited their counter.

• TANGS also sometimes have pretty shoes at very affordable prices.  They may not be the most comfortable shoes though, so I rarely buy heels from them.  This time, I bought 4 pairs of ballerina flats cos they were really pretty.  I am still trying to find a way to make them softer and more comfortable as I do not believe in torturing my feet no matter how pretty a pair of shoes is.
• Holland Village is also a great place to look for trinkets, home decoration items, or ethnic wear.  In particular, I love Lim's and Creative Dimensions.  The former has plenty of home decoration products, mostly Asian style with a modern twist.  I bought cushion covers and a jewelry box there.  Creative Dimensions is heaven if you are into sequins and beaded bags, coasters, cushion covers, etc.  I got myself two little purses, some coasters and a small coin bag there.
• Another favourite shop of mine in Singapore is Island Shop.  It's great for beachwear and summer clothing.  I have a lot of clothes from there, accumulated from each of my Singapore visits.  This time I didn't buy anything as it wasn't on sale.

PLAY
Apart from Night Safari, I never had much idea what else to do for fun in Singapore.  Thanks to my friends, Janis, Pat and Gautam, I was taken to some new places this time.

• Night Safari has always been my favourite.  I love taking the park train to see different animals, and love the walk up and down the jungle in the dark even more.
• Peirce Reservoir was a really cool place my friends took me to, as I wanted to get away from all the traffic and crowds, and be near to nature.  It was a really lovely walk, with a very flat trail by the reservoir, and lots of greenery perfect for a picnic date.  I really loved it.  
• A new and chic rooftop, open-air bar/ lounge is Ying Yang.  We walked past Chinatown to get there.  It was really happening.
• We also spent time just chilling in Starbucks, Page One etc in the mall for some aircon (the humidity in Singapore was unbearable, even my clothes and bag were damp most of the time).

iPhone 4 Obsession

I am embarrassed to say that I have been slow in updating my blog because I finally joined the iPhone 4 community last Sunday and have become fully obsessed with the phone and everything related to the phone.  Such is the power of Apple!

It was my first iPhone - and I so wish I could take a picture of my phone to show in this post - and I spent countless hours navigating through the different features, learning to maneuver the iPhone, finding the best value for money "apps", making more online purchases ("apps") in the past few days than my whole life combined, organizing the many "apps" on the phone, testing them out, waiting for friends to "whatsapp" me.....

I have to say it is a fun experience.  Highly addictive too!  I have been behaving like a kid with a new toy in the past few days - attentively playing with my phone during dinner with friend, playing with my phone while walking down and crossing the street, making wrong turns, missing entrances, almost run over by traffic :P

Moroccan Hammam - DIY Procedures

A big part of Moroccan Hammam Bath is about scrubbing off all the dead skin on your body and nourishing the skin with Moroccan Black Soap (Beldi Soup).  It is a strangely invigorating experience, despite the rough scrubbing.  I have written about my experience in the following posts:
Authentic Moroccan Bath (Hammam) Experience
Marrakech - Hammam (Moroccan Bathing Experience)

I fell in love with the scrubbing, and started to DIY at home weekly after returning from Morocco.  I have also given my friends some of the items needed for the ritual, but I doubt they remember the scrubbing procedures so here's a detailed explanation:

What you need -
1. Moroccan Black Soap / "Beldi" Soup - traditionally made with Argan Oil from the Argan tree, it is highly nourishing while at the same time loosens up dead skin for exfoliation.  Sometimes Black Soap is made with olive oil.
2. Hammam globes / "Kessa" - an exfoliating glove with a rough texture.  Very important in the Hammam ritual to scrub off dead skin.
3. Pure 100% Argan Oil - while not a must, it does nourish your skin very well after the scrub.

These products are very inexpensive if you buy them in Morocco drugstores.  However, if, like me, you will not be traveling to Morocco any time soon, then you can purchase online from stores like Argan Oil Tree.

Procedures at home (note that it uses a lot of water, so it is not very environmentally friendly):
1. Wet your entire body in a hot shower for a minute or so.  Hot is the keyword.
2. Leave some hot water running (through the tap) in order to keep the shower stall steamy, while you step away from the running water and apply the black soap paste to your entire body from neck to toe, avoiding the face and the hair.
3. Let the paste stay on your body for around 5 to 10 minutes while you stay in the hot and steam shower stall.
4. Wash the paste off your body with warm or hot water.  Do NOT use soap.
5. Turn off the hot water.  Use your hand to wipe excess water off your body, then use the glove to scrub your body in small circular motion.  Feel the skin being scrubbed with your other hand: you should feel the dead skin being scrubbed off.  If not, then the glove or your body is too wet.  Keep scrubbing from neck (too rough for the face) to toe, and rinse your body as needed.
6. When done, apply Argan oil to your body to finish the procedure.  If you do not have Argan oil, you may use other nourishing body oil or moisturizer instead.  Your skin will feel soft and have a nice glow.

This procedure is ideally done weekly.  At least that's what Moroccan women do, and they have beautiful skin!  Argan oil is ultra rich in Vitamin E and essential fatty acids, increasingly known in the cosmetic world to be a highly nourishing oil for the skin.  If concerned, feel free to google and read about it.

Singapore Boutique Hotels

I love staying in boutique hotels when I travel to cosmopolitan cities.  Modern, chic, quaint designs just seem to blend in perfectly with those cities, complementing the city vacation spirit.  Tacky anything in a hotel room just doesn't work for me.

I've stayed in quite a few boutique hotels in Singapore and they generally didn't disappoint.  The Scarlet (picture on the left, taken with my miserable Nokia E71 phone camera which does not do the hotel justice) is my favourite so far.  Located in Chinatown, with a curvy floor hallway leading to the rooms, and sweet decor in the room itself.  Great attention to detail, very nice amenties in the bathroom, helpful staff throughout the hotel.

I just came across a blog article, Singapore Style - Hotels, from Hip Hong Kong website, on other newer boutique hotels in Singapore, featuring (among others which are not boutique hotels) the following which I thought I should share here - which would also serve as my bookmark for future Singapore travel reference:

NEW MAJESTIC
THE SCARLET
NAUMI
THE QUINCY 
THE HANGOUT@ MOUNT EMILY

Sri Lanka - colors, grace, and subtlety (updated)

I traveled to Sri Lanka alone 3 years ago, in search of inner peace, adventure, and cultural experience.

I feel that Sri Lanka is a country which can only be fully appreciated in person, and with an open-mind.  Unlike countries like India, Barcelona, Brazil, Morocco, Japan,.....bursting with overwhelming madness, boldness, energy, which could be easily described in words, Sri Lanka strikes me as graceful, subtle and genuine, contrary to my prior expectation, but delivered the most pleasant surprise.

My trip started in Negombo, then continued to Kandy, Ella, Yala, Dickwella, Galle, and ended in Colombo.  I spent 9 days there, and loved every bit of it.  The extremely friendly and down-to-earth people, the needy driver, nerdy spice/herb salesman, my deaf-mute friend on the train who fell in love with me, the resort front desk boy who thought I would sleep with him for a cheaper room upgrade; the road-trip and the 7-hour mountain train ride; the mountain area and the coast; the botanical garden and the quirky Brief Garden; elephant orphanage and the safari.....

I truly hope such a beautiful country will remain unspoilt for a long time.

Koh Samui Thai Cooking Class - Siam Kitchen

Siam Kitchen's Thai cooking class is a must-do in Koh Samui, if you enjoy cooking, good food, and want to get a taste of Thai culture.

Koh Samui is not the most exciting or romantic travel destination in Thailand.  For shopping I'd go for Bangkok, for culture Chiangmai, for sun and beach Phuket, for tranquility Koh Lanta, etc.  My short Koh Samui trip wouldn't have been half as interesting if I hadn't spent 3 hours at Siam Kitchen, learning Thai cooking from Sont, the instructor and founder of this local cooking "school".

The class starts with Sont taking you to the local farmer market to show you typical ingredients used in Thai cooking and how to pick the freshest herbs, seafood, meat, fruits, vegetables.....

You will then be taken back to Sont's kitchen where he'll brief you on the principles of Thai cooking.

Before cooking each dish, he will give you a quick briefing.  Then you are expected to start cooking the dish following his instructions.  Sounds easy - but the cooking time is usually within 10 minutes, so everything happens very quickly!  Add in three-quarters tablespoon of vinegar now!  Half a teaspoon of sugar!  Taste it!  Is it sour enough?  Is it sweet enough!  Adjust the taste so the sweetness doesn't cover the sourness!  Keep tasting!  ........

It was really exciting, like being on a reality cooking show, in a cooking contest!   The dishes turned out perfect, better than any Thai food I had had in any Thai restaurants.  I really enjoyed the class and felt like I learned a lot from Sont.

The dishes I cooked were:

Laab Gai, Moo/ Spicy minced chicken or pork

Thom Khaa Gai/ Coconut milk soup with chicken

Phad Thai/ Stir-fried rice noodle”Thai”style

Gaeng Kiew Waahn Gai/ Green curry with chicken

After each dish, you'd have time to enjoy the food at a table on the pavement.  It was quite a special, local and authentic way to enjoy such authentic Thai food - Sont teaches only authentic Thai dishes cooked the traditional way, so nothing Americanized or internationalized!

Don't forget to book in advance.   Go to the website and email Sont to arrange directly.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Indulgence: VERO Lounge, Hong Kong

No chocolate lover should live in or visit Hong Kong without indulging in a cup of decadent hot chocolate in VERO Lounge, a romantic chocolate lounge opened by a local premium chocolatier, VERO Chocolates, comparable to any world-class brands.

Located in Fenwick Pier Arcade by the harbour in Wanchai, this is a quiet location with a romantic ambience.  I am not a chocoholic, or chocolate junkie who eats all sorts of chocolates, but every once in a while I do enjoy fine chocolate.  

It is a must to try the hot chocolates in this lounge.  My friend and I shared three cups of dark and thick hot chocolate, each special in its own way:

Peru - Very refined, pure, with very understated sweetness and little acidity

Ecuador - Smooth, rich, sweet

Venezuela (Chuao) - Balanced taste, smooth and rich

Our favourite was Peru (blue one on the left - these pictures were newly added on Oct 22, 2010).  The Peru hot chocolate goes down so smoothly, and the delicate aroma was truly mesmerizing.  Each cup was also beautifully decorated with a colorful coating at the top.  Under the dim lighting, at first I thought it was a lid.  It was very pretty.  I did not expect such a lovely experience and did not bring my proper cameras to take pictures.  Next time I certainly will.  The experience left such an impression, we decided it should be preserved with only an occasional indulgence.  

The lounge also has chocolate cakes, brownies, and showcases of specially made chocolate display - such work of art - and their chocolate products.  They also serve alcohol, but I think the highlight is still the selection of hot chocolates.

I promise it will be a memorable experience.

A piece of advice:  When trying the hot chocolate, drink it from the cup instead of trying with the small spoon.  Like tasting wine, let the hot chocolate spread across your tongue to fully taste the true flavor.  If you only take small sips from the little spoon, likely you'll only concentrate on the tip of your tongue and the chocolate may taste much sweeter than it actually is.  Enjoy!

For more pictures, please refer to the new posting on Oct 22, 2010: Chocolate Indulgence: VERO Lounge (Pictures)

VERO 

Address: 1/F, Fenwick Pier Arcade, 1 Lung King Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong 

Phone: (852) 25595882

Sunday to Wednesday: 10am to 10pm

Thursday to Saturday: 10am to midnight

They sometimes close for private functions.  Do call in advance to check before visiting.