La Marmite (Hong Kong)

La Marmite, owned by Aqua Group, is a popular French bistro located in Soho; it is also one of the busiest restaurant in the area during lunch time. My friend Elliot suggested we try it out. We went before noon and as I've mentioned before in my HIDE-CHAN Ramen post, people in Hong Kong usually have lunch a bit later (hence the empty tables).


La Marmite offers a prix-fixe for lunch with no a la carte options. Not a big deal for me but maybe for others. The restaurant's decor is casual and unpretentious, with several vintage French posters on the walls. I like it. Very simple and elegant. I especially love the open front facing the street. Very Parisian.

Our bottle of water. 

I was actually weary at first whether La Marmite would be serving authentic French food but we got to know the manager and found out she was French. Also read online that the head of the restaurant is French (Chef Renaud Marin) with an all French team including Michelin-star Chef Philippe Orrico, Pastry Chef Alexis Watrin, and Maitre’d David Noblet.

APPETIZER

Crab and celery remoulade served with salad

Roasted carrot soup 

MAIN

Poached salmon, steamed carrots and cauliflower cream

Sauteed mushroom and vegetables with linguini

Extremely Easy Mushroom Pork Chops

My boyfriend likes pork chops, while I'm pretty much indifferent about them. I much prefer beef or chicken. This is probably due to the fact that I had many bad experiences with dry and tough pan-fried pork chops (which I would like to avoid for the rest of my life if possible). I honestly don't know many other ways of cooking pork chops. So one day, I went to allrecipes.com and found this great and easy recipe that would satisfy my boyfriend's love (well more so "like") for pork chops and my dislike for "pan-fried" pork chops. 


I made these pork chops twice now, the first time the chops were cut more thick, so they came out a lot more tender. The second time, the pork chops were cut thinner so not as good. So if you want to make this, remember to tell the guy (or girl) behind the meat counter to cut the chops thick.