Yardbird (Hong Kong)

Right before my trip to Hong Kong I wrote about Yardbird (Twitter: @yardbirdhk, Facebook: Yardbird HK) in my Hong Kong for the Holidays post (BTW I also indicated that I most likely won't be blogging in / about my eating adventures in Hong Kong on that post...HA! What a joooooke!). My friend Elliot, who I've mentioned quite a few times in my Hong Kong posts, is currently the Beverage Manager at Yardbird, making it an obvious reason for me to visit Yardbird often =P It also helps that the restaurant is located in Sheung Wan, which is walking distance from where I was staying in Hong Kong.


From being named one of the Best Restaurants of 2011 by HK Magazine to getting a mention in the New York Post, it was not surprising that Yardbird also grabbed the title of the Best New Restaurant by TimeOut Hong Kong a month ago (also runner up for Best Service and runner up for Chef of the Year). 

This is what HK Magazine had to say about Yardbird:

"Yardbird is a no-frills yet achingly modern two-story yakitori joint in the happenin’ Sheung Wan district. Helmed by chef Matt Abergel of Zuma fame, Yardbird offers a simple menu of starters, skewers and sides—easy is the keysy here. The skewers are all chicken-based, and taken from every part of the chicken’s body from the heart to the skin. Each skewer we ordered was expertly and uniquely seasoned (garlic, shichimi, welsh onion and yuzu kosho were examples)"

Yardbird is always busy, ALWAYS. I sat at the bar; the dining room is downstairs.

I ventured downstairs once to catch some of the action in the kitchen (that's Chef Matt Abergel in white).

Elliot's Yardbird's drink menu.

Yardbird's own sake (which I brought back to Toronto).

Chu Hai cocktail (left) & Shino cocktail (right)...SO TASTY ♥

I went to Yardbird twice; the first visit was right after I got off the plane from Toronto and the second visit was probably one or two nights after that. I would have loved to go to Yardbird a few more times (as Elliot always took great care of me) but my schedule in Hong Kong afterwards became crazy busy when it came to dinner dates with friends, family friends and relatives :S

The portions were adjusted as it was served to me only so the pictures below are not representative of Yardbird's portions =)

SMALL PLATES

Seared Yellowtail Salad - Yuzu kosho, ponzu, radish salad (FYI there were 4-5 more pieces of yellowtail hidden inside that salad)

Beautiful Macau

Macau (sometimes referred to as as Macao) is one of the most unique destinations in Asia with its East-Meets-West architecture. Having said that, I really wanted to share with everybody the beautiful architecture there, making this a non-food related post. First ever one!


The Historic Centre of Macau is a collection of over twenty locations that witness the unique assimilation and co-existence of Chinese and Portuguese cultures in Macau, a former Portuguese colony. It represents the architectural legacies of the city's cultural heritage, including monuments such as urban squares, streetscapes, churches and temples.


Below is Senado Square, the center of the former Portuguese colony of Macau. Senado Square has been Macau’s urban centre for centuries and is still the most popular venue for public events and celebrations today. Tons of tourists that day as it was the weekend before Christmas.

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Holy House of Mercy - Established by the first Bishop of Macau in 1569, this institution was modeled after one of the most prominent and oldest charitable organizations in Portugal, and was responsible for founding in Macau the first western-style medical clinic and several other social welfare structures that still function to this day. One of the principal roles of Macau’s Holy House of Mercy was to provide support for orphans and widows of sailors who died at sea.

Banco Nacional Ultramarino - This was not located in the Historic Centre of Macau but just outside of it. I took the picture it because I like how it's pink :) This was a Portuguese bank with operations throughout the world, especially in Portugal's former oversea provinces. It ceased existence as an independent legal entity in Portugal following its merger with Caixa Geral de Depositos, the government-owned savings bank, in 2001.

Casino Lisboa -  One of the most famous hotel casinos in Macau. This three-storey complex was built in late 1960s. The original casino and the 12-storey round hotel tower were built in 1970. A 270-room extension was added in 1991 for a total of 927 rooms. In 2006, another extension, the Grand Lisboa, was built next to the current complex. Therefore a total of 2362 rooms are in place in Hotel Lisboa as of 2010. 

Lots of scooters in Macau.

Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady 

Macau Goodies & Other Delicacies

My day trip to Macau consisted of the following activities: 1) Eating 2) Sight-seeing and 3) Watching The House of Dancing Water show at City of Dreams (a show very similar to Cirque du Soleil shows). 


In terms of "Eating", I've blogged about my lunch at Solmar Restaurante where I had traditional Portuguese / Macanese food. This post will focus on Macau's street food, traditional delicacies and snacks. And breaking away from the norm, I will actually do a quick post tomorrow about the "Sight-seeing" part because I really want to share some of Macau's beautiful Portugal-influenced architecture. For example, the above picture is The Ruins of St. Paul's, which is an iconic symbol of Macau. Gorgeous!


Okay enough of that! Below chronicles everything I ate in Macau ^_^

ON THE WAY TO MACAU

Ferry Food - A cold and hard piece of cheese and a cold and hard piece of cold cut sandwiched in a cold and hard baguette. I had no idea what that jello-thing was either. Tofu packet produced in China. I did not eat any of it *gag*

IN MACAU

We were on our way to lunch at Solmar Restaurante when I couldn't help but stop here for some...

Meat Jerky - Extremely popular in Macau that it is hard to avoid. So many vendors sell them out in front of their shop and they are more than happy to let you to try a slice (they will use scissors to cut a small piece for you). Price depends on the type of meat and the flavour.

Bought half a pound of beef filet jerky. 

Stopped at Koi Kei, a very reputable and well-known store for their almond cake, egg roll, crunchy peanut candy, and filet of beef and pork. They currently sell over 300 varieties of product and is known as a traditional shop but they now also sell new varieties in pastry, cakes, cookies and nougat.  Koi Kei is a reputable Macau brand - it has13 stores in Macau and three chain stores in Hong Kong. 

Peanut Candy - Like all the other goodies in  Koi Kei, I got to sample these freshly made chewy peanut candy. 

Bought a bag. This one is with black sesame.

Almond Cookies - Referred to as almond cakes or almond biscuits, they are so incredibly dense and full of almond flavour. Bought a box.

After our shopping (and eating) spree at Koi Kei, we went for some traditional Macau snacks....

Steamed Egg Pudding - Which you can get either warm or cold (we got warm).

Solmar Restaurante (Macau)

My day trip to Macau was so much fun! It consisted of sight seeing at the Historic Centre of Macau, eating various traditional Macau treats such as Portuguese egg tarts and pork chop buns (posts to to come soon) and having lunch at  Solmar Restaurant, an authentic Portugese / Macanese restaurant recommended by a nearby store owner.  


Located at Avenida da Praia Grande, center of Macau, Solmar Restaurant was founded in 1961. It was originally an exclusive club for political and business elites. Later on, their dishes became so popular that upon public request they opened up their business to the public and became one of Macau's most well-known Portuguese restaurants.

Although it has transformed into a business restaurant from an exclusive club, Solmar still maintained its elegant and relaxed Portuguese style decor. As per Solmar's website:

"...in the early 80's the restaurant was awarded the French Food Award by the French Food Culture Association, and recently the restaurant has been awarded the honor of special member by the Macanese Gastronomy Confraternity, highly respected as a traditional Portuguese Restaurant in Macau."

Macau Beer

Fried Bacalhau Balls - filled with salt cod & potatoes

Prawns a la Solmar - our server came by with the prawn to make sure we were happy with the size first.

My half / share :)

Portuguese Style Baked Chicken

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

berliner (Hong Kong)

Never in a million years did I think I would have German food in Hong Kong. I guess never say "never"! I mean, I hardly even have German food in Toronto! Sooooo can you imagine my surprise (a pleasant one at that) when my uncle, Uncle Chak, invited me to join his family for a German dinner at berliner at Olympian City in Kowloon? And before you can say "Wow Stella has so many uncles in Hong Kong" I will answer yes...yes I do have many uncles in Hong Kong...they take me out everywhere heh =)


berliner is one of several restaurants owned by Cafe Deco Group. I find that a lot of non-Asian restaurants in Hong Kong are owned by big companies that own many restaurants; an observation that I came across when searching for online menus.

Many restaurants in Hong Kong are very festive when it comes to the holidays, berliner is no exception.

There were nine of us and we all enjoyed our dinner with German beer and cocktails (which I forgot to take pictures of). 

Bretzel - Pretzel (love the switch of the "B" and "P" hehe)

berliner Flammkuchen - Flammkuchen flat pizza, smoked salmon, onions, capers and dill

Schwarzwalder Flammkuchen -  Flammkuchen flat pizza, black forest, mushrooms, roasted garlic, arugula, pine nuts and parmesan 

Schweinshaxe - Roasted pork knuckle with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut