Bo Innovation, Hong Kong

I had seriously been looking forward to our meal at Bo Innovation in Hong Kong. Apart from its numerous accolades like 2 Michelin stars and being ranked as the 52nd best restaurant in the world, I was particularly intrigued by chef Alvin Leung's "X-treme Chinese" cuisine. The "X-treme" cuisine label is enough to make me sceptical, but I was surprised by how traditional Chinese dishes were given a modern twist with molecular gastronomy techniques to create a unique and innovative dish.

Bo Innovation Dining Room

The elevator that takes us up to the dining area opens up to a small balcony garden where diners can sit and enjoy the sunshine. We're taken to a table in the inside dining room, which features white tablecloths, sheer satin drapes and an open kitchen where you can see the chefs at work. For lunch, there are two menus on offer: the Lunch Chef Menu which is a degustation affair ($HKD780; around $AUD97 at the time) or the Bo Set Lunch which allows the diner to choose an entree and main, and includes a set starch and dessert ($HKD228; around $AUD28 at the time). We opt for the latter, and choose different dishes so we can sample as much of the menu as possible.

Caulfower risotto, black truffle, duck jus

We are allowed to select 2 items per person from their list of Dim Sum or Classic "Bo" Dishes as an entree. We indicate that we are sharing the entrees and the waitstaff kindly bring out some small plates, chopsticks and a knife and fork for us to split the dishes. The cauliflower risotto is quite unexpected as the waitress explains that the risotto is actually little nubbins of cauliflower. Bits of black truffle are mixed throughout and the risotto sits in a pool of rich duck jus which provides most of the flavour of the dish.

Black truffle 'cheung fun'

Bay Tinh, Crows Nest

I've been spoilt when it comes to Vietnamese food, since I'm lucky enough to have Vietnamese friends who have taken me to restaurants around Cabramatta and Canley Vale, brought me along to all you can eat picnics run by the Vietnamese community, and invited me to their houses where I've had the pleasure of eating food made by their parents.

Ca phe sua da - $4.50 and Lemon soda - $4.50

So I rarely go out and seek Vietnamese food around my area (with the exception of a steaming hot bowl of Pho every once in a while) and I was surprised to find Bay Tinh - a restaurant which I must have walked past a thousand times on my way to a ramen fix at Ryo's. We start with some drinks - a ca phe sua da (Vietnamese iced white coffee) for me and a lemon soda with sugar for Sir D.

Heo nuong (Grilled pork skewer) - $12.80 for 4 pcs

The menu is extensive, with several pages of entrees and mains alone. We want to try lots of different dishes but since there are only two of us, we stick to the well-known favourites as well as some of Bay Tinh's signature dishes. The grilled pork skewer doesn't arrive as a skewer as I would have thought, but is already pre-cut into pieces and arranged onto lettuce cups with rice noodles, pickles and fresh mint. The pork is fragrant with lemongrass and is wrapped up in the lettuce leaf, dipped into a nuoc cham dipping sauce and eaten along with the other accompaniments.

Goi cuon (Fresh prawn rolls) - $6.90 for two

Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)

Now that the weather is getting cooler here in Sydney, I'm starting to crave warm, comforting desserts. Rather than churning out ice creams and other chilled sweets (though I'll still eat them!), I'm thinking crumbles, pies and warm puddings.

Sir D was actually the one who introduced rice pudding to me, since I never ate it as a child. He craved rice pudding one chilly night so we decided to have a go at making it ourselves rather than settling for the canned stuff.

This rice pudding is super easy to make and only requires a few ingredients. You do need a bit of patience to cook it though as the rice pudding needs to be constantly stirred while it's on the heat, but it's definitely worth the time.

We've tried a couple of rice pudding recipes, but this one is our favourite because the rice doesn't become too gluggy, and it is just the right amount of sweetness for me. I like mine warm with a generous sprinkling of ground cinnamon over the top for some extra spice. It's pure comfort food and perfect for the chilly weather to come!

Circa Espresso, Parramatta

Inside Circa Espresso

Walking around the quieter side of Parramatta station, it would be hard to miss Circa Espresso. This hole in the wall cafe is situated in a little gap between two residential buildings. A splash of colour from a graffiti-ed wall and patrons sitting on wooden stools and upturned milk crates tell you that there is something hip and happening going on in that little laneway, and that would be Circa's fantastic food and coffee.

Iced coffee - $4

We've ventured out to Suze's hood today for a taste of Circa's breakfast menu. My first experience of Circa was an impressive cup of takeaway coffee and so I'm glad to be heading back to try more of their menu. I start with an iced coffee - not a sugary, cream-topped version but a real iced coffee made purely from coffee and ice.

Avocado on sourdough toast with sea salt, cracked pepper and lemon oil - $7

Tim Ho Wan, Hong Kong

So earlier this year I went on a little trip back to the motherland: Hong Kong! I was actually born in Sydney but the parentals are from Hong Kong and I do have some (limited) knowledge of Cantonese - enough for me to stumble my way through speaking to shop assistants and ordering food. The last time I visited Hong Kong was back in the pre-blogging days and so this was the first time I really went out of way to seek out great food in the city.

Baked BBQ pork bun - $HKD15

Of course the first place that made my list was the infamous Tim Ho Wan - one of the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants. We went here with some of my Hong Kong-residing relatives and it seems they have found the trick of how to get a table at Tim Ho Wan without queueing! We visited the Sham Shui Po branch for dinner (the original is located in Mong Kok) and didn't have to wait at all. Possibly because yum cha food is typically not eaten at dinnertime, but who's fussed about that when you've just escaped 2 hour+ queues to eat at a Michelin-starred establishment?

Inside Tim Ho Wan

It's still quite busy when we get inside but we're quickly ushered to our table and orders are taken by indicating the quantity of the items you want on a piece of paper. The food comes out quickly and before we know it, we've got a whole host of yum cha favourites on our table, waiting to be eaten.

Baked BBQ pork bun - $HKD15

You can't go to Tim Ho Wan without ordering the baked BBQ pork bun. Different to your regular char siu bao, these ones have a sweet filling of char siu encased by a pastry exterior and are topped with a sweet baked crust on top. It was like eating an almond croissant with a filling of BBQ pork, with the buttery pastry tasting almost croissant-like.

Steamed prawn dumpling (har gow) - $HKD21