I received a happy invitation to lunch today. We are here to celebrate The Man in White T-shirt's birthday, and Dada has asked Suzuki-san at Hidden (秀殿) to put together a special menu for us. It's one of our favorite places in Hong Kong, and I was pretty happy to be back here again.
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I was thirsty so I started with a girlie drink. Unlike the ladies who kicked off with a highball, I was trying to pace myself so I could focus on the wines.
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Yamanokotobuki Furufuru (山の寿 フルフル) - this is an umeshu (梅酒) made with two types of mango - Alphonso and Irwin - as well as passion fruit. I loooove mango, so it was a no-brainer. Interesting that there was a hint of bitterness here.![]()
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Fried chicken wing (手羽唐揚げ) - still one of the best chicken wings in town, thanks to the acidity in the sauce.![]()
Ginkgo nuts and propagule (銀杏 零余子) - surprised to see the taro propagules (零余子) here.![]()
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Shrimp (えび) - nice to get the heads.![]()
Fried tofu (厚揚げ) - while the others were greedily munching on fish cum, I was happy with this. There was a little more soy sauce today, so this was a little more salty than I would have liked.![]()
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Japanese oyster and bacon roll (かきベーコン巻き) - how could you not love this, especially with that smoky bacon?!![]()
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Matsutake and Pacific saury roll (松茸秋刀魚巻き) - pretty intersting to have the fatty saury rolled up and deep-fried, then pairing it with some shredded matsutake (松茸).![]()
Shrimp taro (海老芋) - sooooo smooth and silky. With some yuzu (柚子) on top.![]()
Wagyu tenderloin and garlic (和牛ヒレとにんにく) ![]()
Mozzarella (モッツァレラ) - deep-fried cheese? Hell yeah!![]()
Red pickled ginger pork flank roll (豚バラ紅しょうが巻) / Spring onion pork flank roll (豚バラねぎ巻) - these were really good! Pork belly is always a good idea, and while I've had the roll with spring onions before, this was my first time having it with the pickled ginger.![]()
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Herring roe on kelp with sea urchin (子持ち昆布と雲丹) - one of my favorite items here, and today it came with sea urchin on top.![]()
Chestnut (栗) - this was incredibly sweet.![]()
Napolitan spaghetti (ナポリタン) - YESSSS!!!! So happy to have this again. And can't do it without some Kraft 100% Parmesan and Tabasco sauce.
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Sausage (ソーセージ) - a special request by our hostess. Finishing with a little wiener.We had a nice little line-up of alcohol, all from the birthday boy's (and of course, mine) vintage.
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1970 Mouton-Rothschild - double-decanted 45 minutes before serving. Smoky nose, not as sweet in terms of fruit. Some acidity on the palate, with a hint of savory notes.
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1970 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve - smoky and sweet fruit in the nose. Still going strong and the wine tastes younger. Acidity was higher, but the tannins are still around.
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1970 Baron Gaston Legrand Bas-Armagnac - lovely nose with honey, caramel, and medjool dates. Very smooth, actually.
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Potato salad (ポテトサラダ) - for someone who grew up eating Japanese-style potato salad, this was pure comfort food... and I couldn't resist digging into it with gusto.
Okinawan spinach (ハンダマ) - very interesting. I'm sure I've had this particular cultivar before, but never knew that it came from Okinawa.
Fried tofu (厚揚げ) - while the others were greedily munching on fish cum, I was happy with this. There was a little more soy sauce today, so this was a little more salty than I would have liked.
