A Hong Kong Boozy Brunch, Spanish Style at Boqueria

                     It's not everyday that I get to spend a Sunday with a worthy bunch of humans eating and drinking our lives away to unlimited Spanish food and booze. There are countless restaurants and bars in Central Hong Kong for brunch, which has become a weekend trend and we secretly wish we could indulge in it everyday. Brunch is slowly seeping into the cracks of westernized civilizations like Hong Kong from our favorite dreamland over in the other side of the world. 

            La Boqueria Market being no doubt one the most famous farmers market in the middle of Barcelona in Spain continues to drive traffic from all around the world.  The city comes to shop, dine and socialize at this central meeting place, which sets another example of how food brings people together.  

              On the other hand, Boqueria in Hong Kong, sets itself aside as a Spanish restaurant serving specialty tapas provides a wonderful accommodation for us to enjoy a lazy afternoon with a brunch buffet and an optional free-flow drink pairing. Located in the Hotel Lan Kwai Fong (LKF), Boqueria is also in the center of where everything happens. Lan Kwai Fong is an area where people from all walks of life accumulate once the sun sets and throughout the weekends. It's basically heaven for the young and the young at heart. For a restaurant to be able to survive here really does take some skill and strength, since we all know the rent is quite the heavy load in this city. 

          Once you exited the elevator inside the hotel that led to the restaurant, you would quickly notice the exquisite legs of Iberico ham hanging by its hooves all lined up for the dramatic accent. At the end of the train of ham, a prolific Paella peaked out from behind and beckoned you to taste its pleasures. The pan was comparable to the diameter of my bathtub and conveniently rested next to the self-serve sangria station. The sangria station was really a one stop shop for patrons to make their own elixir with the bottomless wine, fruits, sodas and juices presented to you. Thankful for the food and drinks in our first world, I quickly sat down and grabbed a plate. 

          Our wait staff was quite attentive with asking for our drink orders and before I knew it, I was bombarded by 5 different glasses all lined up on my place mat. 5 shades of yellow?! :0, Oh, what? OK don't mind me :) Since it was free-flow, there was no one there to stop me from the gluttony I was about to embark on for my day of rest and recuperation. So I ordered my Bloody Mary, Cava, OJ, and made a red Sangria on my own, also some water just in case I was dehydrated. 

            The buffet bar was stocked with a selection cured meats, salads, gazpacho, fruits and mini churros. There were also oysters on the half shell, clams and fried bacon with Brussel sprouts included in the brunch menu, made to order. The buffet bar and menu was not the only place for food, there were also these tables on wheels that served as a platform cutting board where the staff wheeled around the restaurant like dim sum carts. A little bit like a child on Christmas Day, I was quite excited to see the whole roasted pork, roast lamb, and salmon with potatoes on these movable carts.  
              The pork was seasoned well that fell of the bone and covered with crispy skin that may make a grown man tear. The roasted lamb was quite tender and flavorful, which complimented my sangria and the salmon was juicy, not dry and paired well with some Cava. 

            Without notice, a general staff comes by the table and nonchalantly offers a bib to one of my friends, who we were bidding farewell to. With a wicked smile, he revealed his Porron and showed us how it was done. The Porron was a drinking vessel native to Spain and allowed everyone in the party to share a drink from a communal spout, which would never touch your lips. After all, sharing was caring and let's hope that the fountain of life would continue to bring joy and laughter through food and wine.
          After many good laughs with our bulging bellies and multiple rounds of glasses refilled, good times always comes to an end with the bill :0 It was not a fortune neither a bargain, but it did leave happy campers with gratified hearts, which was well worth it. Will come again to get porroned! 

A Midsummer's Night Dinner Date with Macedonian Wine

              As if it was a midsummer's night dream, a 5 course dinner paired with Macedonian wine just came and gone for Brown Rice Meets the Pearl's second food and wine pairing night. For the guests, it was an eventful night where the menu reflected on a lighter, less heavy aspect of the season combined with a Macedonian wine presentation from the wine maker along with a nutrition talk from me as a Registered Dietitian. 
          
            I have, once again, based my menu creation on the "My Plate" dietary guidelines of the US Department of Agriculture with some aspects of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, hence, the wine. I've always supported a lifestyle of eating and drinking in moderation combined with physical activity to achieve a good quality of life filled with joy and laughter. 

            A big thank you to the 20 special guests who were able to reserve themselves a seat, it was a great turn out with good company and 6 opened bottles of Macedonian wine from Vinci Pacific. I am sure everyone left with a satisfied palate and enjoyed the atmosphere of Rachel's Kitchen, an innovative lifestyle studio and also is where I currently assist in all the teaching components of the classes that occur in this space. 

             The evening began with an amuse bouche of a cold gazpacho soup with a tangy shrimp salad of avocado, and a trio of brightly coloured bell peppers. The soup was made with summer tomatoes, cucumbers and red peppers. It was a refreshing start to invigorate one's appetite. 

          I presented a beetroot salad for the appetizer. In my opinion, I believe beetroot to be one of the best root vegetables from its array of antioxidants, colour, flavour, sweetness and fibre content. The ability for it to be paired with so many fruits and vegetables places this red gem at the acme of my vegetable pedestal for its multifaceted properties. This salad was comprised of beet purée, roasted beets, feta cheese, Gala apples and a vinaigrette made from apples, shallots, apple vinegar and olive oil. The beetroot easily accepted the sour apple vinaigrette and the feta cheese balances out the sweet and sour properties of this salad. I do very much consider this a highlight for the night. I enjoyed preparing and plating this dish as much as my guests enjoyed ingesting it. 

             As a mid-course, I offered a 7 mixed grain Macedonian Chardonnay mushroom risotto, which fulfilled approximately 1/2 of one's recommended daily dietary fibre intake. The duo of mushrooms were dried Porcinis incorporated into the risotto and topped with sautéed fresh Hon Shimejis from the market. A dollop of porcini foam finished the dish off. I also happened to be a good sport and went around to shave fresh Parmigiano Reggiano onto my guests' plates upon request. 
       
                         The guests had a choice between fish and chicken for their main course and I had so much fun preparing these dishes mainly because of its colours. Rachel's Kitchen was equipped with all the gadgets a chef needed to prepare a sous vide chicken breast to perfection. This juicy piece of poultry was adorned with carrot puree, roasted summer yellow and green zucchinis and a drizzle of black truffle sauce. I also managed to find time to dehydrate vegetables for garnish. 
            The baked catfish was complimented with purple sweet potato purée and roasted summer baby carrots. A nutless pesto was created from basil, cilantro, parsley, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil for the sauce. The green herbs accentuated the purple and orange of the supporting root vegetables. 
         




               As for dessert, I cannot help but utilize red wine to create a mixed berry sorbet, which sailed along a ramekin of dark chocolate soufflé garnished with candied orange peel and balsamic reduction with mint leaf. A "V" shaped vanilla tuile was attempted to pay tribute to Vinci Pacific for their masterful choice of wines for my dishes. 

          I cannot be happier to have met very nice people and enjoyed wonderful Macedonian wine. Thank you for those who helped organize, plate and clean: Kristijian, Ivy, Cecilia, Bill and Rachel. Also gratitude to Dalal and Judy for spreading the word. Please stay tuned for a next event organized by Brown Rice Meets the Pearl!