AMBER HONGKONG: TWO MICHELIN STARS

I wanted to try Amber because it was recently announced as the Asia's 6th best (down from 4th) and World's 38th best (down from 24th) restaurant for 2015! Alas! My uncultured tongue won again. I do not understand what the big fuss is all about as far as the food is concerned. But, the wine selection is a completely different kind of story. Service was superb. Conversation with the girls was unforgettable (lasted 4 freaking hours!). I just couldn't keep my smile from showing every time I sipped wine. :D Yes, #sexandthecitygoal 

There is really nothing to lose so please try the Weekend Wine Lunch when you set out for Amber HK. If you think about it, the HKD888 + 10% service charge spent for 6 courses with 4 wine pairings and a welcome champagne is cheap. 

1.) Breads, canapes and amuse bouche: We didn't get to try the famous foie gras lollipop :( I had more fun trying these out than the actual dishes. And no, I still have no idea what I ate. Haha! 

Breads

2. For starters, I chose the boops boops fish (light cured & smoked in watermelon juice with coriander puree).

You may choose the hokkaido sea urchin as this is Amber's signature dish. Will try this out next time I come back with the boyf (additional HKD260).

3.) For middle course, I chose Australian Abalone (black pepper & vinegar seasoned tomato compote braised then crisped oxtail & its jus)

 4.) For the main course, I chose the line caught hapuka (with minestrone stew of haricots tarbais fava beans, young onion & vine tomatoes). 

Hahaha! I don't normally eat beans, but my god. This was the main course, for crying out loud! I finished this until the very last bite! Hahahaha! The beans were edible enough. 

6.) Of course, the cheese.  My favorite was the camembert. I think, it was cured for 3 years? Meh. Don't quote me on this one. (I'm just an ordinary citizen trying to social climb, hahaha.) I was already stuffed at this point.

 7.) Time for desserts! I will definitely come back for the raspberry chocolate cremeux!

Yellow peach <3 <3 

Raspberry sorbet with Alpaco Chocolate Cremeux <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

 Interior and menu: 

The petit fours and coffee or tea. Happy birthday, my friend! Btw, they also gave my friend macaroons for her birthday :) 

I forgot to take photos of the champagne and wine. Special mention to the casa marin 2013 sauvignon blanc from chile. I've been trying to scout it here in the Philippines. 

Tip: For those who would not like to drink alcohol such early in the day, you may opt for the non-alcoholic pairing. My pregnant friend did and she enjoyed it as well. 

I was too full (from food and laughter) and on the verge of being drunk by the end of the meal. Time went by so quickly! We were lucky enough that Chef Richard Ekkebus came out of his kitchen by the time we were leaving and was kind enough to give in to our request for a photo. (Star struck moment for me!) Anyway, will be back to try out the dinner set. Hopefully, I would appreciate the main course more by then!   

7/F, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, The Landmark, 15 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong 
Budget: HKD977 (PHP5814.53)
http://www.amberhongkong.com

HONGKONG 2015

This is why I am not a blogger. 3 months have passed and I'm still not done with my Japan posts! Anyway, because this should be a quicker one, I'm posting my HK trip last Independence Day weekend first. 

Booked the trip a few months back. Sadly, each round trip ticket cost us PHP10,000++, Cebu Pac at that! Ugh! But we had our reasons so we bit the bullet and just went for it. 

For the accommodation, I would recommend Residence G! They're near Jordan/TST station. We were upgraded to a better room (Suite) which includes 1 King Bed, 2 toilet and a wide space for a dining area. The only caveat is the toilet! Voila!

Yes, the shower room has a transparent door. I didn't mind much because we were all female but this can be an uncomfortable setting for others. 

Unfortunately, I only have that photo. But the room was really spacious (having 2 tv sets!). Best thing was the mobile phone they provided us which we used the whole time we were there (for internet surfing, google maps, etc). It also has unlimited domestic and international calls to 8 countries (Boo for not including the Philippines!). Also, 1 thing to consider is the adaptor for plugging charger. They will only provide 1, so bring for yourself. My tip is use the usb ports in their tv sets to charge your phone.  

Budget: HKD1884 (free upgrade) = PHP11,065.59
*I was thinking of getting Airbnb room, but I had to consider changing towels and where to leave our bags behind. 


For the food, we had the following: 

1.) Cafe de Coral: Good HK dish when on a budget. 

Roast Goose 

2.) M&C Duck: Pricier than the usual roast duck/goose places in HK. But worth it!

Chopstick

Love the monogram!

Love, love, love!

String beans! YUM! <3 <3 <3

Peking Duck!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Wrap for the Peking Duck

3.) Scarlett: Surprisingly cheap breakfast place just below Residence G!

Eggs Benedict!! <3 <3

so-so pancake

 4.) Ebenezeer

Kebab with Fries <3 <3

 5.) Mongkok

Jewelry shopping!!!!

THAT RING /wrist

I will update this once I find the receipts from that trip. :/

DAY 2: UMEDA/KIJI SKY RESTAURANT

 How to go to UMEDA: 

1.) Ride the Midosuji Line (RED). 

2.) Go down Umeda station. 4 stations away from NAMBA.

NAMBA (M20) --> UMEDA (M16)

3.) Umeda Sky Building is 20-30 min walk from station.

I've learned from this trip that most tourist spots here in Japan have an entrance fee and they vary depending on age. So for the Umeda Sky Bldg, the prices are as follows: 

Adult = JPY800

Senior = JPY700

Children (4-11) = JPY500

Things to see in the tower: 

Lumi Deck

Heart Lockets

View from the top (173m) 

We had our lunch in the basement of the tower where the best okonomiyaki is being sold. Restaurant Name is called Kiji Sky Restaurant. Please look for this sign as almost all the names of the restaurants are in Japanese. 

KIJI SKY

Different Kinds of OKONOMIYAKI

The chef was kind enough to recommend which ones we should get. The best one is the one on the upper right. Everyone agrees on this. (Just thinking of it now makes me salivate.) We also ordered Yakisoba which I failed to take a photo of. 

1-1-90 Oyodonaka, Kita-ku | B1F Umeda Sky Bldg., Osaka 531-0076, Osaka Prefecture +81 6-6440-5970

Along the way, there were several malls you may pass by: Hanshin, Daimaru and Lucia. We passed by the Hankyu Department Store as I wanted to have coffee in Bvlgari Cafe. I ended up buying chocolates though! 

Budget: JPY900 and up for a cup of coffee, JPY600 and up for the chocolates.
*Honestly though, I prefer Royce than these. They weren't worth the price.  

Hankyu Umeda 5F, 8-7 Kakudacho, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-8350