Olea

Olea
Lafayette

I 've never been happier to see a bowl of pasta in my entire life.

Saturday night in HK

I had decided that I do not like hot pot joints. To be sure, I am a germaphobe. I used to carry little bottles of Purell, but I hate the cold and clammy film that is left after the vigorous microbe killing.

Anyway, at this very hot pot joint in HK, I watched a spiny lobster watch a couple eat its body. Its head separated from its body, and trapped in an ice pack, the poor spiny lobster feebly moved its arms around in protest.

I dipped a sliver of grey meat, which was cooked in a mild fish broth, into a raw egg, which had been seasoned by chilies, peanut butter, and some soy sauce. I watched Jehan squirt ground fish bits and some doughy stuff from a plastic bag into that same mild fish broth, where it transformed into a rough noodle, with rough edges. Chantel kept stuffing the broth with leafy vegetables. White fish turned grey.

Huh?

Food should never be grey. Have you ever overcooked a glistening red tuna steak? It turns grey, a gloomy day, or a cheap suit, or car upholstery.

Stinking of hot pot, we then proceeded to a warehouse in a strange part of town for the Kee Club 5th Anniversary party, where all of HK's young, rich, and beautiful people queued for hours to get inside.

Friday in HK

Shopping in Causeway Bay. IT was amazing. I could have stayed all afternoon. Skipped lunch in favor of saving my appetite for Nicholini's. Went to a Christie's opening cocktails. Looked at amazing contemporary Asian art. Then Nicholini's at the Conrad. Then to 1/5 in Wan Chai for Getty Images viewing. Abysmal crowd. Down the street to Cine Citta for a drink outside, where Jehan and I were eaten alive by mosquitoes. Off to Dragon-i for a cocktail, where the average age must have been 23. Onward to another bar with excellent music, reminded me of Williamsburg, except that everyone was Australian. Finally landed at FINDS, for another cocktail al fresco.

Thanksgiving in HK

Lunch at JW Marriott The poolside grill, where you can get a corndog. First fitting at Maxwell Clothiers, in Tsim Sha Tsui. Tried to go to Aqua, Felix, Hutong, Spoon, all closed until 6PM. Had a drink at the Intercontinenal, where we found Kopi Luwak on the drink menu. Dinner at North Point Market, where Robbie guided us thru fried prawns, stir fried vegetables with taro, pignoli, fermented soybeans, basil; fried chicken with a special sauce; steamed grouper with ginger, fried rice served in a lotus leaf. Wow. Dessert was a local treat: steamed milk, steamed milk with ginger. Kind of like a hot ice cream. Jehan had a Vietnamese condensed milk taro bubble milk tea thing. Milk foam on top. Not so good. Final stop was at Opia, the bar/restaurant adjacent to the hotel. Empty.

HK

We're in HK now - incredibly chaotic, hilly, smelly city. We definitely wish we'd planned for more time in Tokyo. I think I need a month in Tokyo. The food here, however, is astonishing.

Wednesday
Hollywood Road
Soho
Tsui Wah
greasiness in a fluorescent lit bi-level diner style.

Arirang
Pretty good Korean food.

Yi Fan
Last night we had dinner in a private eating club - 14 courses of exotic nouvelle Cantonese.

Tokyo

Tokyo is awesome.

The Four Seasons
Ginza
Gonpachi
Tsukiji Fish Market
Breakfast at Four Seasons
Meet Amy at Hotel Okura
Lunch at Le Dragon Bleu
Rappongi
Mori Art Museum
Harajuku/Omotesando Hills
Meet Travis at Shibuya (Hachiko)

We walked around Roppongi Hills and went to the Mori Art Museum for the city view, and to the Bill Viola exhibit (highly recommended!). Then we met up with my friend Travis, who took us to smoky izakayas, a peek at love motel hill, and best of all, to goldengai, where we drank and smoked in a tiny bar on the 2nd floor which seated maybe 8 people. Incredible.