Lobster Extravaganza The Tsui Hang Village is famous for their delicate Chinese cuisine, and they have never disappoint, just like their summer limited lobster feast. We started with some Honey BBQ Pork. It was very juicy and tender. The sweetness from the honey wasn’t overpowering which was perfect. Shout out to them for serving us some honey beans on the side. You don’t see “Cha Siu” being served in such traditional manner everywhere. The Steamed Lobster and Pork Dumplings were succulent and slightly umami. The fish roe on the top gave the dumplings a hint of briniess and the gold leaf just complete the dish with a luxurious finish. The Steamed Lobster in Egg White with Pumpkin Sauce was such an innovative dish. It was more on the lighter side in terms of flavor. I could taste the sweetness of the lobster meat with the enhancement of the pumpkin sauce, what an interesting match. The Crispy Lobster Claw with Cointreau Sauce was one of my favorites! It was essentially a lobster claw wrapped with fried rice noodle to preserve moisture and provide texture. The Cointreau Sauce was citrusy and refreshing, perfect to balance the richness from the lobster meat. Sautéed Lobster with Lemongrass, Basil and Rice Cake would be ideal for those who loves fragrant seafood pot! I have never knew lemongrass and lobster could be a combination! You need to try it to believe it. The Stewed Whole Short Rib was as tasty and it looks. The texture was so soft it could fall of the bone and all the fat melted in my mouth with just a single bite. Not to mention that bone it was very photogenic too. Last but not least, my long anticipated desserts. The Honey Glazed Egg Twist and Baked Tapioca Pudding were to die for! Thanks for giving me extra honey because I could just never have enough! The pudding was silky smooth with sweet lotus seed paste inside for another level of sweetness, and that’s a wrap. Better hurry to give this menu a try! It is only available until September 8th!! Tsui Hang Village 2/F, New World Tower, 16-18 Queen’s Road, Central 中文食評在評論版中↓

Finally Taiwan has our own food and wine festival! 3 years in, Cookmania has morphed into a large exhibition that gathered chefs, producers, vendors and people who care about food. Themed as “A Better Meal,” this year the events are centered on sustainability, food preservation and zero food waste. I sincerely hope this culinary extravaganza will continue to develop and achieve a bigger picture. Kudos to all the staff and people who came party with us! 有人前二天去參加Cookmania @cookmaniacommunity 的活動嗎？我有上台主持喔！ Cookmania原本是餐飲人自發性的同樂會，一不小心卻把事情搞大了，今年來到第三年，催生出一個為期二天、集結上千人的美食展覽與園遊會，已經很接近國外美食美酒節的型態。以「A Better Meal」為題，生產者、供應商、餐廳、酒吧、酒廠，餐飲的上下游串連在一起了，加上時不時就會撞見的星級主廚們，以及所有熱切的、專注的臉孔。 這次主持大多是擔任翻譯，第一天是輕鬆寫意的廚藝展演，我在台上很easy，第二天是認真精實的美食論壇－Cookmania Talk，我就很緊張了。Cookmania Talk很榮幸邀請到三組國際講者：曼谷米其林一星餐廳「Bo.lan」的雙主廚Chef Bo與Chef Dylan、日本起司職人藤川真至、The Flying Wine Maker的Eddie McDougall，雖然事先有準備訪綱給他們，我卻完全不知道他們會怎麼回答，尤其論壇用中、英、日三種語言進行，我負責中英翻譯，即便另有中日翻譯但還是擔心節奏卡卡。論壇一開場，我就暗叫不妙，Bo.lan與Eddie的回答又長又複雜，我得全神貫注聽懂，記住其中重點，再用中文整理給大家聽，難怪現場口譯是一份專業工作！一開始腦袋有點打結，請大家見諒啊。 然後因為要主持，又不斷地串門子，我在現場都沒什麼胃口，明明有這麼多好吃好喝的東西哪。 當然還會有一篇正式的報導放在 @taster_taiwan 。這終於是屬於這個世代的台灣美食展演，雖然不免倉促、莽撞、手忙腳亂，卻總算奠下一個基礎。今年的Cookmania談永續，該如何讓活動本身永續下去，也很重要呢。