minalism travel

Some friends invited me over to their new abode for a house warming slash Chinese New Year dinner. Delighted, off course I accepted the invite to an evening of Chinese culinary perfection which surpassed any of my expectations, and left me at the end of the night wishing that I had asked for a doggy bag to take home. All the ingredients were bursting with fresh flavours. And most importantly, all ingredients were traditionally Chinese. Having a home cooked Chinese meal was a new experience for me and definitely something I would not pass up if I ever get the chance to have it again! Simply... the Menu (my interpretation of the menu at least. Apologies for any mistakes!) A variety of mushrooms including oyster, enokitake, dried shitake. Oysters. Sea cucumber. Freshly steamed chicken. Steamed fish. Sweet and sour pork with peppers and onions. Fish ball strips with green leaves sautéed in garlic. Grilled king prawns in a sweet soy sauce. Plain white rice. ...

Rough Trade Records East – Photograph by Tom McShane from East London Lines Magazine I had an early start to my day... I never really enjoy having to wake up early. I am defi nitely not a morning person. After skimming through a relatively productive morning, I was craving Korean food, so I headed for the Korea House food stall in Food Republic to get a take-away portion of the Kimchi with pork, seasonal vegetables and rice lunch set. Food in hand I worked my way back through the crowded hallways of the shopping mall, while replying to a text message at the same time, when the oddest sight stopped me in my tracks. There in front of me  a small old Chinese man   was wearing a " Rough Trade Records " t-shirt! ROUGH TRADE!!! The exact font of the record store logo . I had to back track a few steps on the escalator to get a second glimpse. I wonder if this guy knows what the logo represents? Whatever the case, a small victory for Brick Lane and for record stores was w...

Beef Potted Rice with Egg cooked with love at the Wing Hap Shing Restaurant in Hong Kong – Photograph from openrice.com My meeting with Alia went well. We were meeting to share ideas about teaching techniques and how we can improve on our current lesson plans. Since I had rushed out of the flat to make the meeting in time, I hadn't had a chance to eat so I was pretty darn starving by the end of it. Bingo, I pass a Yoshinoya on the way home.... simple, easy and fast to be plated food. Just what I was looking for. I've eaten at Yoshinoya a few times and have enjoyed most of their dishes. It is Hong Kong's answer to Japanese fast-food. What you see is what you get. It's not exactly  Japanese culinary finesse  so I can manage my expectations and still enjoy the experience. That said, today while savouring my Chicken Demae Ramen & Japanese Tea Set my worst restaurant nightmare unfolded before my eyes... literally. While fishing my chopsticks about in my ramen...