Debate of Thai and Penang Durian

Durian is widely known and revered in South East Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow as large as 30 cm (12 in) long and 15 cm (6 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale yellow to red, depending on the species.

The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and offensive. Some of the Hong Kongers describe the smell as “Cat’s shit”! So this is no mercy to tell how bad the smell it could be. Some of the people would vomit when they smell it… About 40% of Hong Kong Does not like to take it at all and about 50% people like it, I am one of the rest 10% people that Love to eat.

Since the smell evokes reactions from either deep appreciation or intense disgust. The odour has led to the fruit's banishment from certain hotels, air craft and public transportation in southeast Asia.

There is always a debate between Malaysian and Thai on their Durian, when I meet friend in KL and Penang, they said their Durian is Best, more favour and stronger than those Thai Durian, their premium grade is Fu Lu, Red Prawn, High grade D2, Green Shell, Lin Fon Jiao, Gong Buo, Lipan and D24. Penang Chinese describe Thai durian is “potatoes”! That is not too fair to the Thai as they also have very good types of Durian they called it Gold Pillow… Anyway, I would like to say Penang Durian is best when I am in Penang, and Thai is best when I am in Bangkok… as a snob style!

Anyway to be fair, the presentation of Thai Durian is a bit more elegant, more meat, Yellowish brown pillow like, creamery and sweet!
Penang one is more texture, exquisite taste that can last in the throat for a whole night.
Anyway, do not drink Whisky after eating durian and Thai advises us to eat three to five pieces of Mangosteen. To dilute and cool down the heat generated by the Durian.

The durian, native to Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, has been known to the Western world for about 600 years. The 19th-century British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace famously described its flesh as "a rich custard highly flavoured with almonds". The flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness, and it is used to flavour a wide variety of savoury and sweet edibles in Southeast Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked.

There are 30 recognized Durio species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. Durio zibethinus is the only species available in the international market: other species are sold in their local regions. There are hundreds of durian cultivars; many consumers express preferences for specific cultivars, which fetch higher prices in the market.
A good Thai Golden Pillow is about Baht 400-500 at season April- August, a Good Fu Lu is about RM$40 In Penang during the season May to July. In Hong Kong, those Durian is 100% Thai Durian, it is about HKD$80 a piece of average size.
We should not take too much or it will spoil your appetite before the dinner.

HK Snob

The Food in Qing Dao

A lot of friends told me that the sea food is very good in Qing Dao...Well, I had put it in a low expectation as I had been to Qing Dao in 1980 and 1982 whilst I was working for China's merchant vessel serving between China, Japan and North Korea. The way Shan Dong people cook is very much different with the Southern Chinese. As a Typical choosy Shu De snob, we are poor as we spent lot of money on food.
I had been a few restrurant, I was totally disappointed as their food is salty, oily, and had not pre-treatment on the meat that we used for getting away for the natural smell of the meat or sea shell...As for certain pork, we use to drop it in hot water for a while before we stew it... We used a lot of ginger and Chinese onion for sea food like crab and shrimp, as for Muton and beef, I heard that there is  away to get away on their smell.
I mean  like mutton, I can not get used to that kind of smell, it is pungent, it it even classisied inedible..
According to Wikipea explanation.
Lamb — a young sheep under 12 months of age which does not have any permanent incisor teeth in wear.
Hogget — a young male sheep or maiden ewe having no more than two permanent incisors in wear.
Mutton — a female (ewe) or castrated male (wether) sheep having more than two permanent incisors in wear.
I went to this so called "Hong Kong Chef" East Ocean Restaurant that is a 4 stories, 8 beautiful young women with four at each side of the entrance to welcome your visit. A big pool for various types of live fishes, lobster and prawns, and some rare sea species in the main hall,
We had two bottle of Qing Dao beer and we started ordering as from the captain's recommendations;
Roasted Duck in Hong Kong Style
Beaf steak (Japanese Beef)
Tao Foo (Bean curb) in Chiu Chow sauce
Fat Till Cheung ( Buddha jumps from the wall)
Fried Lotus Trunk cut out
From the attached pictures, if you are Hong Kong People, you will be able to tell how BAD the food is cooked, I am sure that the Chef is not from Hong Kong, as we do not put starch on the Fat Tilll Cheung as that will give you a sticky tougne and would cover you taste bud for soup. They had these ingredient normally in the soup: Fish stomach, dried gallop, Shark fin, sea cucumber, Abalone, and some old chicken, but in this restaurant, they do not put the old chicken, instead they used a big portion of octopus...I know the chef;s intention, he want to make the soup tasted "sweet" but he should use Chicken instead of Octopus as I think I will not eat Octopus as for it high cholesterol content. And if he wants to make teh soup more appealingm he can used dried squid as one of the soup base... but I still think the old Chicken is best...

So at the end of the dinner, I did not eat at all any of the roasted duck as it could not pass the nose Test!
The Tao Foo is soaked in 4mm thick oil that Shocked me... I did no take it
The Beef is Ok as they are real good Japanese Beef, but I hate the way they put the pepper which took away all the natural favour of the juicy meat!
The Lotus trunk was a disaster... as the sauce was sweet and too much sesame oil.
at last I had to order a plate of Fried Rice to keep my empty stomach a bit feeling of "Food taken"
The bill showed me RMB$847.00!
I do nto think that is a good course, and even the captain did not ask us why so many left behind..So this is the reaosn this restaurant is not sucessful as they do not CARE customer's feedback.

In Short, QingDao has all kinds of sea food, material for cooking, but they do not have the chef, they do not have the demanding customers, they do not know What Good Food is...
Of course, that is my last time to go... sorry...no more.... I had a feeling that I was ripped off....

HK Snob

Shan Dong Cursine

China has eight types of cursine and Shan Dong is one of them. Shan Dong food to me is not appealing at all.
What I can see is that they are oily, not as bad as Shanghai, a lot of meat especillay mutton.
I really do not appreciate it. When I got to the Jin Ning Airport for going QingDao, they open only after 1:55 p.m. So we had to look for food, we went back to one small restaurant which seemed was the biggest and organized one there.
The customer went to the kitchen to order food, I saw a basin of animal heads which almost caused me vomit!
There later I found out that was Sheep heads, as I thought they were dogs... for the whole 30 minutes I was still thinking of that terrible sheep heads....I lost my appetite at all though I was very hungry.

They made some dishes and I think they are quite OK to be taken... especial te plate of Chicken that was stewed with a lot of Chili. It was cold like 5 degrees and was a bit windy, if you are hungry and cold,,, That worked!

Another dish was made with some river shrimps of roughly 10 mm  in length, the put some Chinese union and stir fry with egg... We took some hand made thin white bread made with flour... and wrap up with the shrimp.. quite chewy and yummy, agian It was cold and hungry... but when I thought about the basin full of sheep heads...

I did not pay for it so I really do not know how much we paid for that lunch, I guess that it about RMB$140.00 including two bottles of Tsing Tao beer!

HK Snob

Oceanna Italian Cuisine & Oyster bar

Oceanna is situated the Same Building as of The Cantonese Restaurant, G26, G/Floor, K11, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon,  Tel 25061323.

It is a small, simple decoration embedded Italian Restaurant, very easy to assess, just 1 minute from the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Exit to Hanoi Road.

The Food is not expensive but rather decent, spacious, good service, with smile from the people around you.

They serve Buffet light lunch for those ladies who does not want to stuff up their stomach and a selection of Oyster for the people who like to go for it like I. It is a place for a lunch before your next shopping trip starts at Tsim Sha Tsui.


HK Snob

One of the Delious Dish

Crab is used to be one of my favourite dish, though you may not like eating it it as it seems a bit troublesome to take it..
Hairy Crab and Yellow Crab serves you in different seasons. The Yellow crab may be the best in taste and is likely the most expensive. It was used to sell at HKD$700 a piece with 12 taels  in 2008. Now it is cheaper about HKD$400.00 for a crab of the similarr size.

Meat crab can be steamed with a lot of Chinese Yellow wine and egg. Room 401 of Ocean Centre, the House Of Jasmine has this great dish. I had tried a few times, still I found that they can maintain consistent good quality. The Yellow Gravy is best served with plain Rice...a bit sticky, pleasant scent of the Chinese yellow wine, and the egg soaked with the crab favour!  How can you get slim...with such dish in the House Of Jasmine..?

HK Snob

One Dollar for a Chicken

To Heung Restaurant is offering you an unbelieveable Cheapo Chicken at price of One Hong Kong dollars.
If you are bold enough, you can order one whole chicken, a bowl of rice and one Chinese Tea, you can settle the meal at about less than 20 Dollars... and the chicken is yummy!

HK Snob