As a baby boom is expected in the auspicious Year of the Dragon, T'ang Court at The Langham has prepared four nourishing six-course menus for expectant mothers.The Chinese executive chef of The Langham, chef Siu Hin-chi has tailor-made four healthy and nutritious menus, taking into consideration the vital needs of mothers and foetuses at different stage of pregnancy. The pregnancy set menu for the first trimester is designed to provide folic acid, iron and calcium, which contributes to the development of babies' nervous systems and main viscera. The menu includes:
- double boiled sea whelk and chicken with ginseng - sautéed bird's nest with scrambled egg white and olive kemels - fried multi-grains with sliced kelp and mixed vegetables - sweetened walnut cream
The other two pregnancy set menus contain ingredients rich in protein and calcium, which are essential nutrients for the growing of babies. There is also a menu designed for post-pregnancy period, which blends ginger, radix codonopsis and beef to achieve optimum health and stimulate circulatory system for new mothers.
These special pregnancy menu with six courses each is priced at HK$550 per head and is available throughout the month of January.
This New Year, chef Eugenio Iraci at The Mistral at the InterContinental Grand Stanford in Tsim Sha Tsui has prepared a series of unique Italian dishes featuring the black truffle. Its special à la carte menu uses premium ingredients such as organic eggs and authentic Italian handmade pasta to help bring out the aromas of the black truffles. The menu includes luxurious dishes such as:
- soft poached organic egg on creamy polenta with hazelnut oil and black truffle shavings - traditional handmade wheat pasta with savoy cabbage, fontina cheese and black truffle - handmade ravioli filled with cod fish, tossed with Jerusalem artichokes, cauliflower cream and black truffle - pan-roasted Dover sole in black truffle butter with turnip puree, chestnuts, mushrooms and grilled scallions - oven-roasted Tuscan pigeon with lightly smoked potatoes, Swiss chard and black truffle - dark chocolate terrine with dried fruit compôte and black truffle ice cream
While everyone knows about Yung Kee's roast goose, did you know that the famous restaurant on Wellington Street is also the first restaurant to use organic turnip grown by local farmers in their Chinese New Year turnip cakes? Mixed with Thai dried shrimp and Yung Kee's housemade cured sausages, the traditional turnip cake smells fragrant and tastes even better. For dessert, the organic coconut rice cake made from natural fresh coconut juice, organic cane sugar and organic coconut milk is an excellent choice for a perfect ending to the festive Chinese New Year feast. Both the organic turnip cake and organic coconut rice cake are limited to 50 per day and only available while stocks last.
Celebrating its 9th anniversary, Aqua Group's Japanese restaurant Wasabisabi in Times Square is bringing back guests' favourite dishes over the years. A "Back to the Best" menu that includes nine signature dishes from the past is on offer from now until the end of the month. Notable dish from the celebration menu include:
- tataki sushi platter with fresh seafood rolled in finely hand-sliced cucumber - grilled king prawn with sea urchin sauce - slow-cooked Kobe beef cheek with turnip and sweet miso sauce
Diners ordering any dish from the anniversary menu will also receive complimentary sake.
Starting this month, M Bar at the Mandarin Oriental in Central will bring in two signature cocktails from Mandarin hotels around the world to Hong Kong each month
To kick-off 2012, M Bar will be serving Memories from Mandarin Oriental, Geneva and The Nihonbashi from Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo. Memories is made from Bacardi Superior, Galliano, peach juice, lime juice, cherry syrup and fresh melon to give a light and balanced flavour – and will be an entry at the Bacardi Superior Rum Legacy Cocktail competition in Zurich later this year. Meanwhile, The Nihonbashi is a refreshing and delicate cocktail to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Tokyo's historic Nihonbashi bridge and a fruity blend of vodka, yuzu liquor and grapefruit juice.
Hot pot is one of our favourite meals in the winter as it keeps us warm through the cold winter days. While we have given our favourite international hot pot selections earlier, we are delighted to introduce a new hot pot with a twist presented by Saboten at Henry House in Causeway Bay. The soymilk hot pot features soymilk broth made with collagen jelly extracted from fish and goji berries, to be served alongside with grain-fed Kagoshima pork slices. Try our this flavour with the soymilk hot pot combo (HK$168), which includes Kagoshima pork slices and fresh vegetables. Those with a partner can opt for the twin combo (HK$398) that offers extra dishes of deep-fried Hiroshima oysters and fried pork tenderloin roll. The soymilk hot pot is only available for a limited period from now until February 29.
To celebrate its first anniversary, Italian restaurant Bella Vita at Cubus in Causeway Bay is going to transport diners to a marvelous dining carnival, Tuscan style. On January 18 from 6:00 pm to 12:00 am, Bella Vita will serve an 11-course Tuscan dinner menu. The decadent feast will tempt diners' tastebuds with a selection of Tuscan cold cuts, exquisite appetisers, homemade pasta, refined seafood and its signature grilled dishes. The special dinner menu is priced at HK$680 per head, plus HK$880 per person that for a bottle of Antinori Tignanello Rosso IGT (750ml for 4 persons and 375 ml for 2 persons).
For many Chinese cuisine lovers, winter is one of their favourite seasons as they indulge in a series of nutritious and warming Chinese dishes made with Chinese herbs and game. This winter, Toh Lee at the Hotel Nikko in Tsim Sha Tsui has prepared a series of nourishing dishes using these unique ingredients. These dishes includes:
- double-boiled crocodile meat with mandarin peel, Chinese herbs and ginger - double-boiled black skin chicken with matsutake, cordyceps sinensis and conch - sautéed egg white with bird's nest, crab roe and fish maw - stewed chicken with Chinese wine in casserole - stewed mutton with bamboo shots and black mushrooms in casserole
The Ritz-Carlton joins forces with premium chocolate maker Valrhona and present a unique chocolate tasting that is perfect for chocoholics who would love to sample something unusual . In this chocolate tasting experience, guests are invited to taste three exclusive chocolate varieties chosen by Valrhona including:
- - Tainori (64% cocoa from Dominican Republic)
- - Manjari (64% cocoa from Madagascar)
- - Guanaja (70% cocoa from South America)
The chocolates will be presented in three different forms including a pure chocolate piece with its original flavour, a ganache made from a mixture of chocolate and cream, as well as a chocolate mini tart. The tasting journey will be on offer starting from January 9 and is served from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Monday to Saturday, or 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Sunday.
After the white truffle season, the black truffle season will soon come in early spring. Taking a head start, Grissini at the Grand Hyatt in Wan Chai introduces a special black winter truffle menu this month. Grown during the months of December, these fine gastronomic gems comes from Norcia in Umbria are turned into delectable dishes such as:
- 40 egg yolks tagliolini with Italian butter and parmigiano reggiano - traditional Piedmontese plin meat ravioli with rosemary veal jus - slow cooked Guinea fowl stuffed with chestnuts, mashed potatoes and marsala sauce
