Are you sure it's almost December?

Because it was easily 80 degrees here yesterday!  I love Hong Kong!

Nina, Brad, Paul, Richy, Me, Cathy, Kenny

Saturday evening Paul and I met Kameron, Cathy, Brad, Nina and Kenny down in Stanley for the Food and Music festival.  Paul and I had been to the beaches in Stanley once and were disappointed by what we thought was downtown.  We weren't downtown.  But Saturday we were, and it was lovely!  The festival was a celebration of the reopening of Stanley Plaza.  The plaza has restaurants, grocery stores and a bunch of shops, and on the outside is a beautiful new pavilion on the water where all the food demos and music was held.  We came just in time to see Eli from Top Chef give a presentation on how to use nitric acid to make ice cream sundaes.  Because we're going to go home and do that??  I don't know, but the whole event was cute.  After the demo we checked out some of the food tents.  Paul and I tried a cheese plate and a smoked salmon dish, both of which were delicious.  Then the big star of the festival came out.  Richard Blais, Top Chef 2011.  He gave a quick demo then posed for photos with, well, us! Post event Nina, Kenny,  Paul and I head to Central and caught some live jazz.  Live music is oddly difficult to find here.  There's a huge lack of options, and/or interest I guess, so having an opportunity to see jazz was quite welcome.

Shrimp wasabi mini brunch burgers

Sunday Funday and Kenny wanted to check out the HK Aviation Club.  Turns out it's right near our place, so we made a brunch event of it!  Western food doesn't so much exist over here so we got dim sum.  I had profiled this place a while back for Foodie (which hits stands on Thursday) and wanted to try it.  Fusion dim sum if you will.  My favorite thing we had was definitely the mini-shrimp wasabi burgers.  Everything we had was really good, and super ridiculously cheap!  $200 for 4 of us which is ~$7 a head and we all walked out stuffed.  So if ever in my hood, check out....well I'll show you because the name is in Chinese.  We hit the aviation fair which was small but interesting, then ferried over to Central for some outside Hoegaardens on the water.  Have I mentioned I love Hong Kong?

November 27, 2011, TST

Post beers Kenny and Nina went to get pedicures and Paul and I visited the Shanghai Tang pop-up retail store.  I know this is all the rage with restaurants, but shopping??  I heard Shanghai Tang got booted from their space due to high rent, so what else would you do but open up tent on the roof of pier 6?  There were literally 4 tents on the top of the pier, each with a different theme; men's, women's, home.  Shop for amazing (although too pricey for this budget) clothes with an amazing view.  Good thinking guys!

Shanghai Tang pop-up

Random roof top rocking bull

Paul doesn't like the rocking bulll

We debated for a long time what to do for dinner post "shopping".  Since we had already gone out to eat once that day, I thought it would be nice to cook in.  And then we came up with the best idea ever; homemade tacos!  By the time Paul bought beers and avocados at Yata, I had gone upstairs, cooked minced lamb, created, rolled and cooked 4 tortillas, and assembled the yummiest dinner!!  Paul had tacos and I had taco salad complete with refried beans, cumin cheese and you-guessed-it-lamb.  

So I was pretty convinced that was one of the awesomest dinners ever, until I totally kicked my own ass with tonight's dinner.  We had leftover sour cream and I had seen a recipe a while back on eatliverun.com for paprika chicken.  Sounded like it would be up Paul's alley and pretty simple as well. I searched the hood.  5 grocery stores, endless frustration, and NO paprika.  Hm.  So I made due and it turned out to be amazing!!

Chicken Paprika (sans paprika)

chicken breast

chicken broth

onion

garlic

chili peppers

mushrooms

sour cream

tomato paste

and S&P

Served over noodleys and tis delish.  Paul will be pleased when he gets home for dinner.  If I don't eat it all first.