My venture

So let me tell you, I have seen quite a bit of Hong Kong, but there is always new things to discover, one definitely being the food places, but those I will talk about in another blog, this blog, I'll write about how I discovered Hong Kong in a way that I did not think.... As you know we went to Manila for the baptism of little Siena...then I decided to stay a couple of days in Hong Kong with my sister to spend some quality time with my God-daughter.....Fabienne decided to take me to a lot of baby shops just to show me all the things...and man...it was a different world.....exciting though....we went into shops that I would have never spotted (if you don't know you don't know), they were not in the traditional mall or along the streets, but way high up in some random buildings, in other words, if you didn't know they were there, you would not have found them.....the first one was off Queen Street, on Peddar Street...near the Abercrombie shop.....up 5 floors and there...

Siena Isabel's Baptism.....that was the main reason for going out to Manila...well that was of course the only reason we needed :-) Mom, dad and Mutti had gone there a week earlier to enjoy some holidays in the Philippines while I only flew inn on Friday evening....I was welcomed by going to a restaurant at Rockwell mall....but how nice....we could sit outside...I am not a mall and aircon fan, so this was great.....starters was some manchego cheese, salami, crispy bacon pieces and calamari fritti with aioli and spring rolls...great...mains I decided to be a little bit more healthy and the appetizers were quite filling, so Fabienne, mom and I decided to share two salads (Fabienne said they were quite large).....we ended up choosing the pear, blue-cheese and walnut salad and the fried soft shell crab salad.....the dressings were great, so were the toppings...but when comparing to South Africa, I felt we received way too many green leaves and not enough actual salad toppings, but a...

Cafe del Sol Botanica...took us 2 weeks to finally get into it...wow...what a waiting list....so off we went on Wednesday evening for a bite to eat..... The interior is stunning, really attention to detail, beautiful...its all decorated in fresh colours of white, yellow and green....there is even a plant wall...we were seated just next to it... Plant Wall Inside decor We received our menus and funny...we didn't all have the same menus, some of us had older versions which were missing a few items...that was very strange and the older menus also were missing some prices...anyway....for starters I ordered the duck spring rolls, mom and Mutti the deep fried Boccacini balls, Kim the truffle popcorn and dad polpette (he wanted to compare the polpette to our polpette at il Localino). 5 minutes the waiter informed us that they unfortunately are our of stock of the polpette so dad chose the calamari fritti with an aioli dipping sauce instead. The Boccacini ball...

Yes....here we go again...another restaurant review....opinion.....on Friday morning, short notice, we decided to make a reservation  at the Italian restaurant in Illovo called Assaggi.....I have been there before but many years ago and thought it was time for all of us to go and try it again....well the atmosphere has not changed, in other words there still is NO atmosphere.....we ordered some wine and then mom and Mutti wanted some Prosecco so we ordered a bottle, just to be told by the waiter that they are out of stock and only have local bubbly...oh well....Graham Beck it was....my dad and Kim of course preferring red wine ordered a bottle....to AGAIN be told that wine is out of stock....hmmm...now that is a bit too much....so they went for another choice....at least that one they had... Now time to order some starters....Kim, Mutti and dad all went for the mussels....and they were delicious, the sauce was sublime, it had whole garlics in them which i absolutely loved....mom...

I love KOI...I really really do...yes they are expensive, but it is definitely worth it...sushi like no other place, top top quality...I have not been disappointed there.....so this morning when we decided it is time to al go out together we really wanted to be able to sit on the terrace (it's been so hot) so KOI in Rosebank was the decision, we have been there before, but the normal one we go to is the one in Sandton, cause it is just closer, atmosphere wise, the one in Rosebank is a hell of a lot better.... What better than to sit outside on the terrace on a hot summer evening....make sure you book and make sure you state that you would like to sit outside..... Starters....pretty simple....well...next time I should read the menu, but there is this particular item which I love so much that I keep going back to it....thinly sliced seared salmon sashimi with a fusion dressing....and it is just wow.....(mom and I decided to share), Kim and dad shared the dim sum platter, which h...

Burger is what you need to feel like and shoe string fries...if yes...then Rocomamas is a good place to go.....we decided to meet some friends for an easy dinner and they suggested to go to Rocomamas...I heard that Ferndale is the best out of the ones near us (Rivonia and Fourways), so we went there...again a place where you cannot do reservations...so we went there just before 19:00.....bad timing, we ended up waiting for a table for 30 minutes....but anyway..... Rocomamas The tables are simply and the menu is a paper pad where you tick yourself what you would like to eat, you can either create your own burger from the various ingredients of you can choose one of the 5 already designed. If you so not feel like burger, there are some ribs and chicken wings....but I believe if you go to a place like that...stick to burgers....the chips are extra and you can choose between small, medium and large.... Order sheet The list for Craft beers is actually quite reasonable and t...

As promised...we have been going to some new places, trying new things....so on Thursday last week we met a couple friend at a place called Craft in Parkhurst. We have driven past it a few times and I have heard about it a few times...so why not go and check it out.....Thursday night it was.... I had called for a reservation but was informed that they do not take reservations, I asked what a reasonable time would be to get there in order not to be disappointed or have to wait too long, 6:15 for 6:30...6:15 it was. It was relatively empty when we arrived so we could choose a table, no joke, by 19:15 the place was buzzing, full of people and a lot of atmosphere. They have a huge copper wood-fired oven which I just love and the menu actually has a few pizzas but what is great, it has quite a number of items which are actually cooked in the pizza oven....let me mention a few....organic sticky drumsticks, fillet Picanha, fish in a bag etc....they also have some salads, a lighter mea...

So it has been Kim and my aim to go out for dinner to a restaurant once every 2 weeks....at least...try something new, or re-visit an old favourite and check they still live up to the standards we are known by them..... So on a late Saturday afternoon Kim and I were strolling around Hyde Park and decided to have a quick bite to eat at LIFE Grand Cafe....the decor is alfresco, looks very much like a Tasha's bit it seemed nice, there was a salad bar (nothing fancy, lettuce, rocket, tomatoes, croutons, carrots, feta, the basic displayed in different bowls and you could choose what to add to your bowl.....Kim and I opted for Sushi....a Avocado and Cucumber Dragon role....the restaurant was fairly empty to we expected fast service...well how wrong we were....the drinks were quite speedy, but the sushi...first the waiter came and apologised for the delay, then the one manager came and apologised again (this is without Kim and me actually asking), then the third manager, a lady came, a...