A special french occasion

My daily cup of coffee paired with the delish robuchon pastry specially brought by Janice as part of SAFE's farewell breakfast for Amaury. :)

Housewarming and farewell dinner at Helen's = food intoxication. hehe There were some real fancy and expensive stuff being served including lots of wine+cheese. I liked her open kitchen and the way she prepared all the food with absolute ease.. Not too much prep work so she was able to chat and enjoy the evening as much as we all did.



Dang this was so simple to make. Eggs, cream and a crack of salt, throw it into the oven for 15 minutes and it's done! Oh and yeah a healthy scoop of truffle per person. O_o

I'm somewhat opposed to ordering or eating foie gras in restaurants but it was in front of me and after trying it I have to admit I liked the way it melts in your mouth.


Saucisson & palette cleanser.


Lots and lots of hard & soft cheese to go with our bread. mmmMMm.. ;)


Tarte tatin with fresh whipped cream. Even though we all saw how much butter and sugar went into this dessert, it was perfectly devine. For such a rich and satisfying Tuesday gathering mixed with wine and champagne, you can imagine how hard it was waking up for work the next day. Nevertheless, good luck to Amaury & Tian in Tokyo! :)

The sweetest surprise

Hehe, celebrated Valentines Day on Sunday with my booey J. The afternoon begun at around 3ish when we turned on our oven and burned it in for first time. Once the plastic smell was gone I started on my sugar cookies. As I was kneading away, Chef J was busy prepping away and washing his vegetables. :) Was tough not peaking at what he was doing with his mischievous grin. hehe After my cookies finished I decorated them with red icing and white heart sprinkles for the domokun teeth (he said that was pretty inventive since I had no white icing sugar) teehee.

Nehoo I stayed out of the kitchen even though I asked him if he needed any help. He said no worries, everything was under control. Felt bad though because he spent so much time in there. hehe And before I knew it ta da first up was the appetizers. This was probably my fav.. <3 I love mushrooms and this time they were capped with a generous portion of spinach & 3 cheeses, all baked to perfection! Not soggy and loved the flavor from the feta, cream cheese and sprinkle of parmesan. Mm..I've never had anything quite like this before in the restaurants. About 10 minutes later he kindly informed me to leave the dining premises and remain in the room. Off I go, wondering what he's up to and not long later I hear some clicking sounds and then... some John Legend tunes. yeyeeehhh~

'Lets go to the park...' Chef J peeks his head in with a smile and tells me everythings ready. Off I go with eyes covered annnd when I open them..whoaa there were red candles scattered and the table was all set up with foodies/drinks. Was totally speechless by how far J went to make this a romantic experience. Aww.. thank you :') Felt so warm and fuzzy inside.. & I still have a smile on my face thinking about how sweet the surprise was. So we take a seat and he opens the pot and out billows the steam from the chicken cacciatore. He said he wanted to bring home this dish which he would enjoy back when he was living in LA. It's a really nice comfort dish with chopped bell peppers (only one but it made the sauce so nice n' sweet) onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and oregano. With some fresh cracked peppers? Jeng! And matched with basmati crispy rice and a spray of 'I can't believe it's not butter' makes a harmonious match. hehe Normally I eat all my salads before the main but this time the salad would have to wait. tai ho mei ahhh. *pat pat tummy.

hehe After eating J opens my lil prez & card and we take pictures with the new polaroid camera. =) As we munch on his strawberries dipped in dark chocolate and watch Wall-E, I still can't believe how thoughful J was in taking the time to buy groceries, prep and cook everything. Too sweet and happy to feel that not only today but also any ordinary day as well. I feel very lucky to spend my first valentines with J through such an incredible dining experience *omnomnom the way to my heart is through my tummy. hehe Not only do I love a man who has great qualities but also one who can cook up a great meal. YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY WON ALL BROWNIES POINTS IN MY BOOK. haha <3



Thank you for the wonderful evening.

Btw when did this whole domokun theme come into play? OH when you drew it...not just our packing boxes. ;)

Home is where the heart is.

My good friend who is living & working in Toronto recently shared with us a really good article that she wrote in the Star called 'Caught between two worlds.' I'll always be one of her biggest fans n' do check it out :) >> I enjoyed reading it because it brings a smile to my face and its easy for me to relate to. When you've got Chinese parents but moved a mumbo jumbo number of times, have alot of English speaking friends but still have a fairly Chinese background...who you are and where you belong sometimes becomes a blur. When I was young I've always considered myself as a Canadian but with age that distinction became less strong and that pause before the response always took a little longer. Which box should I tick: Chinese or Canadian? Can someone add a new box called Chindian? hehe

I think when it comes to movement and change there are two different types of people. Those who stay in a comfortable place for their entire life and develope strong sense of home (which is a great thing being able to see/know/keep in touch with your elementary school friends) and then there are others who were forced or by choice, to move around and become accustomed to throwing away useless things like me. :P But yeah I guess just by being in Hong Kong, I do 'feel' like a more enriched & worldly version of myself 3 years ago. I know I like to do alot of outdoor activities and my mom asks me how come I never did so much of it back in Vancouver when there were plenty of mountains and fresh air. It's weird. Maybe I've changed and I've molded myself to whatever this city has to offer. Because there is 'less' space, I want to make the best out of whatever is available. Kinda like 'you don't know what's good until it's gone' and I didn't appreciate the outdoors as much before..

Anyhoo tomorrow is Lunar New Year's eve and we get off earlier tomorrow *yay!! I know it's been a short work week but boy am I glad it's over. Little things have really gotten to me this week and I feel like a tangled ball of emotions. I know I shouldn't let unimportant things get to me because it's not worth my time but I just get too sensitive. Nehoo four days of family gatherings, food and j time. Can't wait.

新年快乐 and have a great year of the rabbit :)

"May your heart's desires come true"