Great Sunday Brunch at Clipper Lounge, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong (Central)

👍 Generally really good food, superb range of sashimi and cold seafood.
👎 Variety of dishes and types of cuisine on offer isn't as high as some other buffets.

Every once in a while we like to go stuff ourselves silly at a good Sunday Brunch. While visiting Hong Kong we decided to spend the afternoon having brunch at the Clipper Lounge, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong (Next to Central MTR).

Compared to other 5-star hotel buffets, the variety of cuisines and dishes isn't the greatest, but the quality of the dishes on offer were generally very, very delicious. We were quite amazed in particular by the fat and juicy scallops on the sashimi bar, and the king crab legs, oysters, and abalone on the cold seafood table. We also thought the roast prime rib of beef was excellent. There was a huge variety of desserts, some of which were perhaps somewhat an acquired taste, but most of which were good.

Service was friendly, attentive, and prompt, and the dining area is gorgeously elegant. If you're the type of person who absolutely must have over a hundred different dishes at a buffet, then this place might not be for you, but otherwise we highly recommend it if you're hankering for a Sunday Brunch Buffet in the city!


Some photos of the bread and cheese table, sashimi, sushi, oysters and cold seafood bar:









Some photos of the Hainanese chicken (a little dry), Roast Beef & Ham, Hot Dishes, and Desserts:








Some photos of the food we brought back with us to our tables:









Finishing off with (complimentary) coffee and tea:


Sunday Brunch at the Clipper Lounge, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong costs HKD718 per adult (+10% service charge). Add HKD400 to include free-flow Champagne R’ de Ruinart Brut NV, house white and red, beer, soft drinks and fruit juices. Visit the Mandarin Oriental HK website for reservations. Non-halal.

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Superb Korean BBQ (charcoal) at Pujim BBQ, Amoy Street!

👍 High-Quality meats grilled over charcoal, service was very good!
👎 Banchan (side dishes) weren't the best.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of Korean BBQ places all around the island, so it's really quite easy to satisfy a Korean BBQ craving when you get one. Many of these places are quite mediocre, though: Either their meat is sub-par (typical of all-you-can-eat joints), or the grill is electric/infrared. So we were quite excited to visit Pujim BBQ over at the Telok Ayer area (Amoy Street, to be exact)!

The dining area feels quite industrial, with bare concrete floors and unfinished brick walls. The neon purple lighting does give the experience a bit of an edgy vibe. We're pleased to report that the suction/exhaust system in use is strong, so you don't get any lingering smoke in the air. You will still leave with a noticeable grilled meats aroma in your clothes, though, so keep that in mind if you're planning a lunch visit on a working weekday.


The banchan (side dishes) were perhaps a tad bit underwhelming, with only salad and fish cake complementing the kimchi and various pickles. But that's okay as we're really here to stuff ourselves on charcoal-grilled meat!


The cut of meat on the first page of the menu - and also the first thing we immediately ordered - was this amazing Rib Eye Cap (amusingly enough it's called "prawn" on the menu). If you've never heard of this cut before, picture a rib eye steak. The rib-eye normally comes with a large section flanked (and separated by a layer of fat) on the top and side by a smaller strip of meat. This smaller strip of meat is the "Cap" of the Rib Eye and is crazily tender, fatty, juicy, and beefy. It's the "tastiest part on the cow," and so it's pretty amazing to be able to order it on its own.


We also ordered some Boneless Beef Rib (Galbi/Karubi), which was really nicely marbled ...


... and Pork Jowl and Pork Belly for some variety.


Another huge plus point (for us) at Pujim is that the waiters/waitresses help you grill your meat over the charcoal pit. I know that grilling meat on your own is perhaps one of the fun parts of a Korean BBQ dinner, but sometimes it's nice to have the professionals take care of that for you so you can concentrate on eating.


We thought that the way they 'serve' the cooked meat - on top of a slice of bread - was quite interesting. Excess juices were soaked up by the bread, and the meat got just the right amount of indirect heat to keep it warm without continuing to cook more.


The resulting grilled morsels were - as you'd expect given the amount of marbling evident in all of the meats - absolutely delicious. Oh and the waiters/waitresses do ask you for your temperature preferences, too, so don't worry about getting a lot of pink and red everywhere if you prefer your meat on the well-done side.


Oh, we also do prefer the pork belly being 'thick cut' style rather than the thin, strip style that pork belly is normally served up at other Korean BBQ restaurants.


At around s$48 per person after taxes, the meal here at Pujim certainly isn't cheap, but in our opinions it was really worth it. I mean for comparison, going to a cheap Korean BBQ buffet place will cost you around s$30 anyway, but the quality of meat, service, and the overall experience is many orders of magnitude inferior to what you get at Pujim. Highly recommended!

Pujim BBQ is at 82 Amoy St. Non-Halal.

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Review of Esquina Spanish Tapas Bar (a Citi Four Hands Kitchen dinner)

👍 Food was great. Good synergy between both chefs' dishes.
👎 Bar seating isn't the typical 'fine dining' setup.

The darling and I paid a visit to Esquina Spanish Tapas Bar for the Feb 2019 edition of Citi's 4 Hands Kitchen! In a nutshell, 4 Hands pairs up a (visiting) foreign chef and a local one to create a limited-run lunch and dinner menu, and is a pretty sweet way to sample and compare two cuisines in a single meal.

For this edition, Chef Carlos Montobbio (R) of Esquina hosts Chef Gustav Knutsson (L) of Denmark's 1-Michelin-starred Bhoga Restaurang. We're seated at the counter right in front of the kitchen, which makes for an amazing view of the chefs and cooks as they whip up the 8 courses for dinner.


First up, we get some snacks: Marinated "Gordal Olive" stuffed with anchovies and basil, Dried Sour Cream with trout roe and chives, Celeriac Tarte with Thyme and Puffed Rye, and Uni and Chips. Our favorites were the Dried Sour Cream (dehydrated until it was almost like a large chip), and the Uni.


The first starter was the Lightly Seared Scallop (by Chef Gustav), served in a Scallop and Mussel Consomme, brown butter, and pickled seeds and herbs (pickled at their restaurant in Denmark over the summer). The pickled seeds and herbs added a surprising and yet refreshing sour and tangy taste to the scallop.


Next up: Baked Sweet Potato (by Chef Carlos). The potato - slow-baked for two hours, resulting in smooth and sweet decadence - was topped with a smoked quail egg and served with Aji Amarillo (a type of chili from Peru) sauce and Crispy Quinoa.


The next dish (by Chef Gustav) was served up in two parts. The first was a small breaded & deep-fried 'fish finger' with a cut of turbot that was more fats than meat, resulting in an interesting gelatinous texture.


The second (and main) part was the Grilled Atlantic Turbot, with turbot fat emulsion and topped with smoked brussels sprouts and fermented garlic. Turbot's a pretty mild-tasting, somewhat firm-fleshed fish, so it was perhaps with this in mind that the accompanying greens (and the entire dish) was lightly seasoned as to not overpower the fish.


We move on then to the Tsarskaya Oyster (Chef Carlos), lightly broiled and then served with warm Pigeon Jus, Winter Black Truffle, and Beetroot foam. Unfortunately the darling and I are yet to learn to appreciate oysters, so this dish was sadly a little wasted on our unrefined palates.


Chef Gustav's Raw Westholme Wagyu Beef was brushed lightly with a reduced mushroom soy sauce, and served on a bed of spruce tips and shimeji and shiitake mushrooms. All in all it was pretty delicious, but our kiasi subconscious still can't let go of the fact that raw beef does add a bit of risk to the dining experience.


Chef Carlos then finished off the savoury dishes with charcoal-grilled Iberico Pork Presa and Espelette Confit Potato. The pork itself was tender and delicious, but the collision of flavours from the (very) tangy Nam Jim Jaew Sauce, and (very) salty Ras-el-hanout Hollandaise gravy was a little overwhelming for us.


No such problems with the Beer Stout Ice Cream (Chef Carlos) though. The stout ice cream, banana cake, banana foam and warm caramel sauce complemented each other perfectly, and was a very satisfying dessert.


Chef Gustav's Raspberry and Red Current Sorbet - served with picked powdered roses, cream, and salted meringue - was also a very good dessert. We were especially enamoured by the crisp-thin salted meringue sheet, which was wonderfully light, airy, and delicate.


To conclude: The dinner was overall a very satisfying one, and we found the portions sized perfectly for the average middle-aged adult appetite. This Four Hands Dinner was priced at s$93 - s$186 nett (depending on what type of credit card you hold) per person. At s$93 nett it's an amazing value for the quality of food served up, but we're not so sure if we'd willingly pay the full s$186 nett sticker price.

Esquina Spanish Tapas Bar is on 16 Jiak Chuan Rd, near the Outram Park MRT Station. Non-Halal.

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