Moleskine Passion's Recipe Journal

Moleskine notebooks has a new line of journals coming out.  They have sent complimentary copies to Geoff and myself (as writers on Geoff's Twitchen) and have asked us to log our food journeys.  They will then showcase our personal notes, tips and secrets in 12 different cities across Asia.  Fun!!!  It's good being here in Hong Kong.

I received my copy today and just filled out the first page.

I already have personal notebooks at home filled with recipes, reviews, food to-do lists, F&B ideas, etc, so getting started in a notebook specifically designed for this is a fluid transition.

- Posted from my iPhone

Duke's Burger

I'd like to clarify for those who are confused about my involvement, that my direct hand in Duke's Burger (Hong Kong) began with my initial concept and ended in September 2008.  Since then, a lot has changed from the previous Executive Chef Que Vinh Dang to the management in general.  Since I am permanently located in New York, my current role with Duke's Group is on a consulting basis instead.

I am proud of what Duke's was when I left to New York, but I'm not so proud of all the changes.  Let's just say it's getting more and more different than my initial concept and how I left it.    The owner and I have very different visions about the F&B biz.

However, Duke's Burger is still a fantastic joint to spend a lazy afternoon sipping beer and munching on their shoestring fries.  The burgers are also significantly cheaper now (good), but don't expect the same gourmet quality it once was.  Duke's Burger's well-known interior designer, Andre Fu is probably reeling at the owner's decision to blast down a wall a few months ago.  It makes the entire restaurant open air and I'd say it was a choice for the better.  It's probably the only change I 100% agree with.

I can't really delve into more details of my opinion without sounding too biased or perhaps offending people I'm rather close to.

Duke's Burger (right next to the escalators)
5 Staunton Street, SoHo
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2526-7062

www.dukesburger.com

Dropping in with Juicyndelicious for Chili Crab

Tonight, foodies Juicyndelicious were so kind as to invite me onto their show in a last minute arrangement for some of Singapore's famous chili crab! (see video clip preview below)

I've been traveling through Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore the past three weeks.  Unfortunately, I've been having extremely limited internet (problems with my Macbook Pro) so despite my constant food gorging, updates have been few and far between.  I'm eager to share the experiences from the past few weeks including being tricked into eating Japanese prepared fish sperm to watching my friend's reaction to fresh SE Asian durians to a comparison review between Ippudo Singapore and Ippudo New York and much more.  They will come in time!  I'm heading back to Hong Kong tomorrow, so hopefully then I can find wifi that my computer won't make a fuss about.

As for Juicyndelicious' episode on Chili Crab, expect it in a few weeks.  In the meantime, do check out their site, especially if you're looking for ideas on where to go in Singapore!

Check out this post for the follow up.

New kid on the block: OBAO

Previously a barren land of office buildings and common deli and coffee chains, this little area of midtown Manhattan seems to be growing its own little garden of restaurants.  And until now, midtown was severely lacking in the South East Asian cuisine department.  Chef Michael Huynh attempts to remedy this issue with his latest restaurant opening: OBAO.

Pardon my absence.. and other news

Pardon my absence the past month from here and especially Geoff's Twitchen. It's been a very busy two months, with work piling on, holiday festivities, and figuring out financial options for attending the French Culinary Institute (FCI). The cost is nearly double that of the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), but something just feels right at FCI. I'll be auditing a class, followed by dinner at FCI's L'Ecole tomorrow evening, so we'll see how that goes. I shall report back with that along with a short review on New York's new Obao Restaurant.

And briefly on the news in the culinary publishing world, Gourmet magazine has decided to give New York University its collection of 3,500 cookbooks from its research library.  Despite my ties to NYU primarily being in the form of student debt, the fact still makes me proud.  I'm happy that Gourmet's retired cookbooks will be available alongside tens of thousands of other culinary publications at NYU Fales Library.