Again, I think it's an issue with expectations. If you want jamón ibérico from Joselito - Gran Reserva - you will pay for it dearly anywhere in HK. I'm sure quite a few other ingredients are imported so it will never be as cheap as having it locally in Spain. Same thing with places like Yoshitake - flying in everything from Japan means the same meal will cost a lot more in HK.

We have to come to terms with the idea that a "tapas bar" in HK - whether they call themselves that or not - is never gonna be like what you get in Spain. At the pintos bars in SS you will be standing up, with tons of used paper napkins at your feet. You won't find that in HK as you're likely to be sitting down, and you are gonna be paying for that… in terms of rent!

I stand by what I said earlier - in recent years I haven't had many occasions where I was spending in the HKD 600 range for a non-Chinese meal, and found the food to be as satisfying as what I had at Catalunya. More often than not, I'm spending in the $600-800 range and come out cursing, wondering why it was that I bothered going to that establishment in the first place.

guess i'd better jump in since my moniker's been bandied about…

Actually I never really cared for Man Wah… I have never been there of my own volition… and always there because someone else wanted to go there.

it's not bad, but at the same time it doesn't do anything for me. Glad you guys like it better

I think it's unfair comparing prices in SS to HK… rent's a lot higher here I'll bet… Also the SS pintxos are generally smaller in size if I recall, with many of them served on single pieces of bread.

While I do like Tapeo, I think Catalunya blows them (and everyone else in HK) out of the water. At HKD 600/head for my last meal excluding corkage, I think you will be hard-pressed to find many places in HK that delivers the same amount of satisfaction at that price

Charles, you make a fair point but I would like to point out that:

- I am told that Yoshitake imports the water he uses to cook the rice
- it is not fair to do comparisons between full-time restaurants and guest chefs. Guest chef stints include air fare and hotel costs for the chef and his team. The price you quoted for TK's guest chef dinner (as well as many other guest chefs) also include wine pairing of more than 10 wines. It's not just the food cost.

from what I hear (comments on the pictures I took in the cellar) there are likely a few suspect bottles as well… Oh well, when you have a vast collection like that, I guess it's inevitable...

Try Wagyu Kaiseki Den. Not as good as RyuGin but pretty good in its own right

I love char siu, and my favorite places to get them (irrespective of price) are:

Island/Kowloon Tang - they use mui tau so the cut is "marbled"
Chariot Club - I recently realized that this place has kick-ass char siu, incredibly tender, and I'd put it in my top 3
Fu Sing
Joy Hing

Haven't had it at Ser Won Fun. I recently went for the 1st time after hearing all that about their sausages. For HKD 45 I got a small bowl of white rice with two tiny sausages. Nothing else. I had to pony up another HKD 15 for an extra sausage. No sauce, no nothing else. Worst HKD 60 I ever spent on dinner, so I don't think I'll be going back...

no self-respecting creperie would open for business without Breton cider. Both places have them, and as always you can choose between dry and sweet versions.

Charles, I'm glad you had a good meal there. My only visit to the CWB branch left me with the impression that it was a distant second to La Crêperie, which now has a second Sheung Wan branch in addition to the Wanchai original.

I honestly don't care where the chefs used to work… if they can't deliver a decent meal then their resumes are pretty useless… Just my 2 cents

mango pudding at Ming Court

the problem with very large groups is that the waitstaff will serve the food in individual portions, and if they don't control the temperature right to account for this, often the food will come to you a little lukewarm (or even cold) - thanks to the incessant A/C that blasts in all HK restos. I've had this happen to me on several occasions, and really takes the joy out of some of the food. The crab with glutinous rice that night was the perfect example.

apparently someone else was willing to pay more rent

Peter, let us know when you come to town

You know, Charles, I'm never gonna believe anyone in this crowd ever again when they say "oh I'm not gonna drink"…

Thanks so much for organizing, and great to see you back in town. Same with the others who flew in. Hope to be doing this for years to come!

…and sorry that the Hugel VT was corked

Charles, I don't think this place has a star...

You're right abt the service in Shanghai… and of course everyone has different palates. I enjoy the more traditional flavors since I grew up with them.

The other thing that used to turn me off about Ye Shanghai was the singing. I don't care to listen to someone singing songs during my meal, as if we were in a club back in the 50s or 60s. But that may be appealing to some

Don't waste money on Ye Shanghai. My grandma's Shanghainese so I'm particularly picky on this cuisine. I haven't spent any money there for the last… I can't remember how many years.

I've had 2 very enjoyable meals at Above & Beyond. They do have a view, and the food is pretty good. I'd go back again.

Chom Chom I believe is Vietnamese? Why would you do it in HK?

I've always had a big thumbs-down for China Club, unless you arrange something special with the place. Much better to go to Island/Kowloon Tang, or even Chiu Tang for Chiuchow.

Lots of places Charles mentioned are tough to book. Forget Otto on short notice. Same with Lung King Heen for dim sum esp on weekends.

I am probably one of the few detractors of Tim Ho Wan on here. Just don't get it. It's decent value for money, but the word "best" just doesn't belong in the same sentence w this place.

If the best dim sum is what u want, then it's off to Fook Lam Moon or Lung King Heen you go, IMHO. Freshly made. None of this over-steaming crap I always find at Tim Ho Wan. For me everywhere else pales in comparison.

if we were only talking about flavors that would be fine. Then people have to get into debates about the cost of the wine, whether it should be "inexpensive". Then the person who said for everyone to "lighten up a bit" actually threw in words like "snob" and "crazy". Are we still on the same subject?

but why should it matter whether I use leftover wine or open a new bottle to cook with it?! It is, after all, my stew and my wine. What gives anyone else the right to be judgmental about what I do?

yes, I guess I am a crazy snob. I sometimes have expensive wine leftover and I have used Colgin's cabs to cook my BB. If it happens to be the wine that I have leftover, that's what I will use. What's wrong with that?

Charles, I have yet to have a meal at Man Wah I really enjoyed. Never felt they deserved their macaron. Dying to try GFL and to a lesser extent NH1

the list is very dated. Dorothy's no longer at HK Mag. Sushi U has long closed. I don't eat much sushi in HK as I find it to be very poor value for money. Taipei has much, much better Japanese food compared to HK. That said:

For sushi I'd go to Sase, Kuu and maybe Hiro. Haven't been to Kenjo in years but that used to be my old standard.

For kaiseki it's got to be either Ryugin or Wagyu Kaiseki Den. Nadaman is OK but not very exciting. Haven't found other places worth going.

the event in HK was already done. Think it was organized by Amex for their clients. The guys were meant to fly out yesterday to Aus but decided to check out the coastline before going to the airport.

latest update: news reports emerging that of the 3 people killed in the traffic accident yesterday morning involving 2 double-decker buses and a taxi, the 2 passengers in the taxi were chefs from Heston's Fat Duck. This was really sad.

no idea. I don't do these guest chefs at the Mandarin since the cost is often prohibitive. I would perhaps go if they strip out the wines and make the prices more palatable.

Mandarin Grill

I'm thinking it's actually the very end of Stanley St, where the DPDs are.

I'm sure the OP would have come across this during research, but Ch Cordeillan-Bages in Pauillac would seem like a reasonable choice, assuming budget isn't an issue? I really enjoyed my stay there and I would wake up in the mornings, step outside of the hotel and walk around the chateau's own and neighboring vineyards.

I remember walking to as far as Pichon Baron - which wasn't really that far - and taking pictures of the vineyards and chateaux as the sun came up. Beautiful view. Of course I only got up that early becos of jet lag...

Uh, I think TB did Mak's YEARS ago. If you went to Mak's you would see clippings on the table about his visit, if i recall correctly.