Sheung Wan was awesome – and while I won’t miss our small service
apartment and living out of duffel bags, I will miss the great neighborhood.
We’ve dubbed it the Williamsburg of Hong Kong. It’s chock full of art
galleries, independent and funky stores, hipster restaurants and coffee shops
that have made a science out of brewing beans.
But off we go to Wan Chai, where we found a great apartment in a totally gritty, magenta pink, building. You may know Wan Chai as the area
with all the strip clubs – yes that’s the right neighborhood – but we’re a few blocks away from there :)
Luckily today is a public holiday in HK (happy Labour Day!) and so Pat was able to spend some time away from the office helping schlep the bags over. The bad news is the elevator in the building smells like urine. The good news is our apartment is nice and clean!
We spent the morning settling in and unpacking (and fighting with the internet router) and the afternoon at a small department store buying pots and pans, pillows, hangers, etc. We still have a bunch of stuff to get, but because we found a furnished apartment, most of it can be done at our leisure.
There’s a lot to explore in Wan Chai and soon after unpacking our bags I’ll be hitting the streets to check out the local shops and hot spots.
Luckily today is a public holiday in HK (happy Labour Day!) and so Pat was able to spend some time away from the office helping schlep the bags over. The bad news is the elevator in the building smells like urine. The good news is our apartment is nice and clean!
We spent the morning settling in and unpacking (and fighting with the internet router) and the afternoon at a small department store buying pots and pans, pillows, hangers, etc. We still have a bunch of stuff to get, but because we found a furnished apartment, most of it can be done at our leisure.
There’s a lot to explore in Wan Chai and soon after unpacking our bags I’ll be hitting the streets to check out the local shops and hot spots.
And now that we’re finally settling into our place,
conveniently located across one of HK’s famous wet (produce) markets – I’ll be
cooking up a storm in our new kitchen. Tomorrow I will cook a celebratory meal in honor of our new digs. Any suggestions for what I should make?? Something with an Asian twist, I suppose. Leave me your recipe ideas!
Yahooo!!!!! I know you must be glad to have a place to settle in now. I'm sure you've already made dinner by now, but here is my best "Asian Twist" recipe. You may already have it!
ReplyDelete12 ounces fresh sea bass from Chile
1/4 cup mirin rice cooking wine
1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup white miso paste
3 tablespoons brown sugar
8 ounces baby bok choy
2 teaspoons sesame seeds toasted
1/3 cups brown rice
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Make the marinade by stirring together the Mirin, Sake, miso paste and the brown sugar. Rinse and dry fish with paper towels.Put sea bass in a gallon zip lock bag and pour 1/2 of the marinade on the fish . Seal bag and turn bag so the fish is covered on all sides with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Heat water with salt to boiling. Add rice and simmer for 30 minutes or as the package recommends.
Wash and trim off the bottom of the bok choy. Cook in salted water for 4 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Preheat oven to 400'F. Preheat a saute or grill pan on medium high, lightly oiled with olive oil. Sear the fish 2 minutes on each side. (My fish was about 2 inches thick) Do not burn but develop a dark brown surface on the fish. Bake the fish for 10 minutes or until the fish is 140'F using an instant read thermometer and the fish is opaque and starting to flake.
Make decorative swirls with the remaining marinade on the plate. Form the rice in a 1/2 cup mold. place on plate. Add the bok choy and the fish.
Thank you! This sounds delicious! Our romantic dinner turned into takeout as, even after my trip to ikea, I failed to have any dishes or utensils! I will file this one away.
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