Birthday!!!

Strawberry Pillow has a new friend; meet Strawberry Pig!

I had such an awesome birthday weekend!!!!  Saturday AM woke up to Paul making me fancy grilled cheese, then opened presents (thanks Mom!), hit up Frites Belgian restaurant for a free glass of wine in celebration of Bastille Day, then made our way down to Aberdeen to catch a ferry to Po Toi.  Po Toi is one of the very few islands that Paul and I have not been to.

Turns out there's good reason for this.  We get to Aberdeen after a 30 minute bus ride at 2 or so.  Next and last ferry leave at 3.  Return ferry back leaves Po Toi at 4.  What kind of schedule is this?  Basically you have to get down there at 8:45 am (the only other ferry on Saturday) and plan to stay all day until the last ferry leaves at 4.  Very strange, very strange.

Happy Birthday from Frites!

We bail on this idea and head over to nearby 8th Estate Winery for a tasting.  As you may or may not remember, Paul and I attended a tasting at the only winery in Hong Kong (well except for Portrait Winery) and it was a huge horrible fail except for the fact that we met Nina, Kenny, and Andrew there.  Maybe this time will be better????  NOPE.

$100.  Small pours.  Crappy wine.  Well now we know for suresey.

Post tasting we took a loooong cab ride to Shek O where we met Laura, Derek, and some of their softball buddies.  It's soo nice to live on an island and just be able to pop in and out of the beach!  Laura and I shared a bottle of Cava and decided to head home in search of showers and dinner.  Well, shower turned into not wanting to get ready to go out, so night over!

Sunday was my birthday surprise from Paul.  Birthday lunch with Maria Batali!!  At his newly opened HK restaurant, Lupa at least.  Yum Yum Yum.  I've decided when I become a famous wine writer that I will be besties with Mario and GP.  Aren't they the best?

Thanks Mario...and Paul!

Pesce

Olive oil braised octopus with celery and chili-----so good and the octopus texture was almost buttery

Carne

Ox tongue with truffles and sweet onions------Paul's favorite.  So good and meaty

Verdure

Broccoli Rabe with Ricotta salada------haven't had broccoli rabe every in Asia, so this was exciting

Pizza and Rabbit

Primi Pasta

Corzetti with rabbit ragu.........so so so delicious.  Paul's first (but certainly not last) rabbit and it was to die for!

Pizze

Prosciutto arugula with tomato and Mozzarella.......real pizza.  yum.

Everything was so delicious and the staff was impecable, and there was even a surprise peanut butter heaven cake at the end! I felt like I was back in the states at the new cool restaurant.  Well done, Mario.

Peanut butter cake with chrocolate lemon (weird but good) ice cream

Then we ferried off to Lamma for some swimming in the garbage infested waters.  The choice was either garbage shark fenced in water, or open shark infested water.  There was a sighting last week.  

Spent the evening with good beers, surprise birthday brownie, and amazing friends at the Globe.  It was a good birthday weekend indeed.  xoxo  Thanks P.