ESCAPADES | Sugared & Spiced

Aman Summer Palace 頤和安縵

Add: 1 Gongmenqian Street, Summer Palace, Beijing / 北京颐和园宫门前街1号
Tel: 10 5987 9999
Website: www.aman.com
Price: 3000 RMB+/night
Visited: Sep 2016

Aman somehow always manages to snag the most extraordinary sites as its resort grounds – a private island in the Philippines, the valleys of Bhutan, or here in Beijing, a wall apart from Empress Dowager Cixi’s garden. Set in elegant pavilions that were once imperial waiting rooms, Aman Summer Palace offers a collection of peaceful courtyards and heritage-imbued dwellings…as well as a secret direct access to the imperial garden.

北京之行的最後一天，入住頤和安缦。朋友們提醒我－那裡很遠哦，市區打車過去可能要一個小時呢。我說－完美，正好想要到安靜的地方放空一下。

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This was my first time staying at an Aman, so naturally I was excited to experience this resort brand that I’ve heard so much about. “Aman” is the word for peace and protection in Sanskrit, and the characteristic of Aman Resorts is exactly that – quietude, harmony, and privacy. Opened in 2008, Aman Summer Palace is the first Aman resort in China, followed by Amanfayun (set amid forests and Buddhist temples near West Lake in Hangzhou) and Amandayan (located beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the hillside city of Lijiang).

從市區出發，加上北京果然名不虛傳的堵車盛況，真的快一個小時才抵達頤和安缦。這是我第一次入住安缦系列的酒店，對這個久仰的品牌自然有不少期待。”Aman” 是梵語裏和平、庇護的意思，而安缦酒店的特征，就是對和諧、私密的注重，選址多在文化和曆史結合的地方，如改造于杭州古村落法雲村的法雲安缦、坐落于麗江古鎮的大研安缦，還有這次我入住，與頤和園一牆之隔的頤和安缦。

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From city center, it took me almost an hour to get to Aman Summer Palace with the infamous Beijing traffic. Magically, my frustration with the ride was immediately soothed upon stepping into the resort entrance and its calming ambiance – it was almost like entering another world.

2008年開業的頤和安缦是中國的第一家安缦酒店，據說是清朝時到頤和園參見慈禧太後的官員們住的地方，在安缦開業前是不對外開放的區域。爲了和周邊園景與建築相融，頤和安缦在設計時保留了傳統明清建築和四合院布局，用 “修舊如舊” 的方式改造而成。

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There are many small details in the service designed to give guests a most relaxing experience, such as sitting instead of standing during the check-in process.

進入頤和安缦，映入眼簾的是舒服的深木色調，靜谧沈穩的風華，讓人心自然而然的沈靜下來。這裡有許多貼心的小細節，比如 check-in 時不像一般酒店讓客人站在前台，而是請客人舒服的坐在椅子上辦理手續。

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2016/09/262019/06/29

[Hong Kong] Toritama 酉玉

hong kong

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酉玉 Toritama

Add: G/F, 2 Glenealy, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2388 7717
Hours: 6pm-12am (closed on Sun)
Website: www.toritama.hk
Price: 人均400+港币
Visited: Aug 2016

Tokyo’s Toritama, famous for going beyond the standard chicken skewers with its “beak-to-tail” experience, has settled in Hong Kong on Glenealy. Grill master Hironobu Matsumoto from Japan mans the Hong Kong outpost, bringing his expertise of chicken heart, esophagus, soft chest bone, and gizzard skin (etc. etc.) with him…but first, the meal begins with a selection of homemade pickles, and a small dish of grated daikon topped with a raw quail egg to be eaten on its own, or used as an accompaniment for the skewers.

在東京以 “Nose to Tail”（從鼻尖到尾巴）雞料理出名的酉玉去年在香港開分店，派了在總店工作五年的松本浩暢師傅坐鎮。酉玉在香港可能還未像 Yardbird 那樣衆所皆知，不過去過的朋友都非常喜歡，所以就約在這裏了。

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The original Tokyo shop offers over 30 different parts of the chicken, while the Hong Kong outpost does around 24. On the menu there is a handy diagram indicating each of these parts, I was surprised to see that even the tiny chicken butt is divided into three different sections…wow.

菜單上主打的是 ”1 雞 24 味” 的串燒，除了常吃到的部位之外，還有雞冠、雞膝軟骨、雞食道、雞血管、雞肝外層薄衣、雞膊肉、雞心口軟骨、雞心血管、雞膝軟骨、雞小腿肉、雞髀骹肉等共24個部位，據說連小小的雞股也仔細地分成尖股、股皮及上股 3 部分，風味各不相同。我說，也太細了吧…不愧是日本人，真是把雞發揮到了極致。

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Toritama uses local free-range chickens for its skewers (all except for the chicken butts), and as each chicken part has its distinct flavor and texture, the grill master uses different seasonings (including a 15-year-old sauce brought in from Tokyo) and grilling techniques to bring out the best of each.

除了雞股由東京總店直送香港之外，其他部位都來自本地農場的走地雞，根據老師傅的說法是因爲雞的新鮮度最爲重要，用當地的比較好（那雞屁股呢？可能有特殊的講究吧）。由于每個部味道不同，師傅會用調味料（包括東京總店送來的15年燒汁）、燒烤時間和技巧來調整風味。

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At Toritama, you can either go a la carte or choose from one of the sets – tori (7 skewers, 388 HKD), tama (10 skewers, 388 HKD), and omakase (12 skewers + rice + soup + ice-cream, 588 HKD). We went for the 7-skewer Tori set, and tagged on a few a la carte items at the end.

在酉玉可單點，也可選擇不同的套餐，比如 tori（7串，288港幣）、tama（10串，388港幣）、omaksase（12串＋主廚推薦飯料理＋雞湯＋冰淇淋，588港幣）。我選了 7 串的 tori 套餐，再單點了一些小東西。

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2016/09/252019/06/29

[Hong Kong 香港] The Cupping Room

hong kong

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The Cupping Room (Wanchai)

Add: 32 Shantou Street, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2371 2338
Hours: [weekdays] 8am-5pm [weekends] 9am-6pm
Price: 30-60 HKD/coffee
Visited: Aug 2016

We happened to pass by The Cupping Room after leaving Omotesando Koffee, and decided to try a cup from this famed cafe as well. Kapo the owner has been winning awards at Hong Kong Barista Championships for 3 years in a row, and has also represented Hong Kong at the World Barista Championships, winning #2 in 2014. His first cafe is in Sheungwan, though apparently he spends more of his time at this Wanchai location.

離開 Omotesando Koffee 後正好路過大名鼎鼎的The Cupping Room，決定再來一杯。老板Kapo曾連續三年在香港咖啡師大賽獲獎，並且于2014年代表香港參加 “世界咖啡大師賽” 獲得第二名，是香港咖啡界的名人。他的首家店開在上環，不過據說他本人經常在灣仔店站台，雖然我到訪的這天沒有看到他。

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Cute tiles.

小花地磚好可愛。

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2016/09/242019/06/29

[Hong Kong 香港] Rhoda

hong kong, paris

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Rhoda

Add: 345 Des Voeux Rd W, Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2177 5050
Hours: 6pm-12am (closed on Mon)
Price: 400+ HKD/person
Visited: Aug 2016

I pretty much didn’t leave the area between Wanchai and Sheungwan on this trip to Hong Kong, except for this visit to Rhoda. Located in Sai Ying Pan (which is slightly west of Sheungwan), Rhoda has been opened for only 2 months, helmed by Nate Green of the 22 Ships and Ham & Sherry fame. The food is modern European comfort food, inspired by Green’s memory of his grandmother’s cooking back in England.

這次香港之旅的活動大概都是在灣仔和上環之間，唯一一次超出這個範圍就是在 Rhoda 的晚餐。位于西營盤的 Rhoda 是間才剛開兩個多月的新餐廳，是不少香港潮人出沒的地方。廚房由 22 Ships 及 Ham & Sherry 的前行政總廚 Nate Green 負責，做的是這幾年來很流行的 modern European comfort food。

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The menu at Rhoda changes daily according to the marketing offerings, and there are no real “signature dishes”. For this new restaurant, Green chooses to use real open-pit fire instead of gas stove tops typically seen in modern kitchens – an interesting decision that affects the flavors of all his dishes.

Nate 的靈感源自小時候在英國祖母家吃到的家常菜，菜單根據市場新鮮的食材變動，也沒有特定的招牌菜。比較特別的一點是他舍棄了現代餐廳常用的煤氣爐，改用更原始的燒炭和杏仁木火爐來料理。

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Beer bread (Suntory dark ale), seaweed butter (28 HKD).

用三得力黑啤做的啤酒面包，搭配海藻黃油（28港幣）。

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Lotus root chips, chicken liver cream (38 HKD).

蓮藕脆片、雞肝醬（38港幣）。

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2016/09/232019/06/29

[Hong Kong 香港] Mott 32 卅二公館

hong kong

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卅二公馆 Mott 32

Add: 4-4a Des Voeux Rd, Basement of the Standard Chartered Building, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2885 8688
Hours: 12-2pm, 6-11pm
Website: www.mott32.com
Price: [lunch] 350+ HKD/person
Visited: Aug 2016

You wouldn’t expect a fine dining restaurant to be located in the basement of a bank building, but such is the case for Mott 32. This sleek Chinese restaurant, named after New York’s first Chinese grocery store, is tucked all the way down in the basement of the Standard Chartered Building in Central – yet it attracts a steady crowd with its captivating interior design and delectable cuisine.

在香港的某天中午，在中環做金融工作的朋友約我在 “卅二公館 Mott 32” 吃飯。跟著地址尋到渣打銀行大廈的地下室，沒想到這裡會藏著一間餐廳。而且，還非常漂亮。

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The design style is a fusion of New York industrial style with Chinese elements, from the calligraphy on the exposed concrete walls to the Chinese medicine cabinets adorning the bar area.

設計這家餐廳是在香港非常出名的 Joyce Wang 事務所。斑駁的牆上畫著上海灘的旗袍美人們、各式燈具也很漂亮。

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In terms of cuisine, Mott 32’s offering ranges from barbecued meats and seafood to clay pot dishes, while the lunch menu is mostly dim sum-based.

Mott 32 的名字來自紐約的毛街 32 號，是紐約唐人街的中式美食發源地。餐廳的菜式以廣東為主，不過也有一些四川及北京的元素。

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2016/09/232019/06/29

[Hong Kong 香港] Teakha 茶。家

hong kong

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Teakha 茶。家

Add: 18 Tai Ping Shan St, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2858 9185
Hours: 11am-7pm (closed on Mon)
Website: teakha.com
Price: [tea] 40~65/HKD [pastries] 40-50 HKD
Visited: Aug 2016

Hidden in an inner corner of Tai Ping Shan Street is Teakha, a tea house founded by Nana Chan, a Taiwan-born, Hong Kong-raised, and London-educated lawyer-turned-tea shop owner. Her concept, excerpted below, is lovely:

“In many cultures all over the world, tea is the mechanism at which we welcome people into our homes or start a conversation with strangers. Here at teakha, we too believe that tea is a window to opening our hearts. Through this window, we welcome you into our “home”, to experience a lifestyle that is in touch with our community and our environment. One that values the little joys in life as homemade cakes, the sound of music lingering in a back alley, or ever so basically, the forgotten art of talking to our neighbors.”

藏在太平山道一個小角落裏的 “Teakha茶。家” 是家台灣女孩開的茶店，在香港人氣極高。上面一小段話是老闆的初衷，理念十分美好，可以看一下。

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On the tea menu, there’s Indian marsala chai tea, Taiwanese Oolong tea, Japanese matcha, etc. – all single-origin teas sourced by teakha’s sister company Planation directly from small tea plantations.

茶單上，有印度香料茶、台灣烏龍茶、日本抹茶等各式各樣的選擇。

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There are also some simple pastries, the most popular being the matcha cheesecake.

也有簡單的甜點，最有名的聽說是綠茶芝士蛋糕。

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Beautiful colors.

漂亮的藍綠色。

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2016/09/232019/06/29

[Hong Kong 香港] J. Boroski

hong kong

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J. Boroski

Add: I’m not allowed to say
Tel: +852 2603 6020
Hours: 7pm-late
Price: 100-200 HKD/cocktail
Visited: Aug 2016

In Hong Kong, the hottest place to be sipping cocktails right now is undoubtedly J. Boroski. This hidden bar, just opened a few weeks ago, is tucked away in a small alleyway somewhere in Central (exact location not to be disclosed) and is invitation-only for those in the know – for now.

某天在香港的晚上，朋友問我要不要去一間 “上周才開幕，而且受邀請才能去“ 的秘密酒吧。老實說在上海巴黎也去了不少所謂的 speakeasy bar，心裡默默的懷疑了一下這該不會又是一個空有噱頭，華而不實的地方…不過還是暫且相信朋友的品味，跟著他來到中環某條小巷弄。上方是鋼架、一旁是鐵皮屋，越走越深…然後瞬間鑽入某個不起眼的小門，來到這裏：J. Boroski。

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This, as well as the original J. Boroski in Bangkok, is a collaboration between mixologist Joseph Boroski and interior designer Ashley Sutton. Other than the wildly successful J. Boroski, Sutton has designed quite a few other well-known bars in Bangkok, such as Maggie Choo’s and Iron Fairies, as well as Ophelia which recently opened in Hong Kong.

J. Boroski 是紐約調酒顧問 Joseph Boroski 和澳洲設計師 Ashley Sutton 合作的新酒吧，本來在曼谷有一家，現在開到了香港。Ashley Sutton 在亞洲有不少出名的設計，比如曼谷的 Maggie Choo’s（去過一次，的確是個相當迷幻的空間）和 Iron Fairies，以及在香港剛開幕不久的 Ophelia。

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2016/09/162019/06/29

[Hong Kong 香港] Elephant Grounds

hong kong

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Elephant Grounds (Wanchai)

Add: 8 Wing Fung St. Wan Chai
Tel: +852 2778 2700
Hours: 8am-10pm
Website: www.elephantgrounds.com
Price: [coffee] 30-68 HKD
Visited: Aug 2016

Occupying this much coveted corner location on Wing Fung Street is Elephant Grounds, a coffee roaster local to Hong Kong. The open store front and warm wooden tones are immediately welcoming, and the interior is equally pleasant with handcrafted furniture by Start from Zero and a custom-made moss wall installation by local plant artist Quest Terrarium. Coffee, anyone?

某天在上環 gough street 逛街時，發現了藏在買手店 Woaw Store 背後 Elephant Grounds。同行的朋友告訴我這家咖啡很不錯，而且冰淇淋三明治非常有名。當天沒時間坐下來，不過幾天後又在灣仔遇見了它。

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There is even a bowl of water for pets at the front, how thoughtful.

灣仔的分店比上環的大了許多，位于星街附近一個熱鬧的街角。開放的門面和溫暖的木頭色都非常吸引人，門口還放了給狗狗們的喝水碗。

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2016/09/162019/06/29

[Hong Kong 香港] Omotesando Koffee

hong kong

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Omotesando Koffee

Add: 24-25,G/F.,Lee Tung St ,Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2601 3323
Hours: [weekday] 8am-8pm [weekend] 9am-9pm
Website: www.ooo-koffee.com/hongkong.html
Price: [coffee] 40~60 HKD [sweets] 18+ HKD
Visited: Aug 2016

Omotesando Koffee started out as a pop-up shop in Tokyo’s Omotesando district, situated in a tiny, traditional Japanese home. It became famed for its espressos and cube-shaped designs – logo, work station, and even pastries are cube-shaped – that it eventually stayed for 5 years, until the building became too old to sustain the shop. Cafe owner Eiichi Kunimoto then moved it to Toranomon Koffee in Tokyo’s Toranomon Hills, before he expanded to a second Omotesando Koffee in Hong Kong.

香港的第一杯咖啡，在Omotesando Koffee。這家咖啡館的本店設立于東京表參道，據說本來只是家快閃店，沒想到大受歡迎，一開就是5年。本店因爲建築老舊的原因歇業後，主理人國友榮一開了姐妹店 Toranomon Koffee，以及香港灣仔的這家分店。

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The charming surroundings of an old Japanese residential building cannot be replicated in Hong Kong’s Lee Tung Avenue, but just about everything else has been carried over, including Omotesando Koffee’s signature cube design as you can see below.

Omotesando Koffee最明顯的特點就是 “盒子” 主題的設計，從標志、店裝、到甜點，全部都是方塊狀。國友榮一的解釋是：“日本傳統茶道中，泡茶及品嚐的過程都會在一個簡潔場所進行，衝咖啡亦如是，Omotesando Koffee 所提倡的「盒子」概念令我們專注於咖啡。”

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Beans are sourced from the same roaster in Tokyo, and Japanese staff members have been stationed in Hong Kong to ensure the same quality of coffee is served. Omotesando features two house blends, one is a mix of Ethiopian, Brazilian and Indonesian beans with a balanced flavor, and the second is a fruitier blend of Guatemalan and Panama beans.

Omotesando Koffee一部份日本店員常駐香港，提供與東京本店一致的味道，選用咖啡豆也是與日本同樣由小川咖啡室烘焙而成。根據店員的說法，這裏主打兩款house blend，第一款選用埃塞俄比亞、巴西以及印尼的咖啡豆，味道較平衡；第二款則選用危地馬拉及巴拿馬的咖啡豆，味道較鮮明，果香味比較重。

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2016/09/152019/06/29

[Hong Kong 香港] Grassroots Pantry 豆苗居

hong kong

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Grassroots Pantry

Add: 108 Hollywood Road, Shengwan, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2873 3353
Hours: 9am-10:30pm
Website: www.grassrootspantry.com
Price: 150~250 HKD/person
Visited: Aug 2016

My first meal in Hong Kong this time was at Grassroots Pantry, a vegetarian restaurant with one core philosophy: “to create food that heals with the highest culinary standards and using the freshest, most nutrient-dense of sustainable, plant-based ingredients.” That reads like a mouthful, but what it’s basically saying, is that they make healthy food that tastes amazing. And it’s true.

到香港的第一餐，和一位注重養生的朋友相約在上環荷李活道上的 Grassroots Pantry 吃午餐。餐廳的創始人 Peggy Chan 本身是素食者，堅持用 raw food 的烹調方式將營養豐富的食材做成美味料理，不論吃素還是不吃素的朋友都很推薦。

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First, the design. Grassroots Pantry’s interior is bright and airy thanks to the large windows and a lofted ceiling. The combination of light grey cement wall and warm orange couches is lovely, and the plants adorning the space is more than welcome. Above the bar suspends a selection of gorgeous decanter lights from Lee Broom – a personal favorite.

店裏設計清新明亮，淺灰色的水泥牆搭配溫暖的橘紅色沙發，吧台上方吊著好多我喜愛的 Lee Broom 玻璃燈飾，室內養了不少綠色植物，感覺非常好。Grassroots Pantry 似乎是個很受外國人歡迎的地方，餐廳裏過半的客人都不是本地人。

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Word has it that Grassroots Pantry was the first shop in Hong Kong to use acai berry, and their recipes are laden with nutrition-packed ingredients like flaxseed, buckwheat, kohlrabi, cashews, chickpeas, and the likes. They promote “raw foodism”, which is about eating unprocessed and uncooked foods. The cooking process involves sprouting, soaking, fermentation, pickling, dehydration, etc., which is a time-consuming process, all aiming to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients in the food.

據說 Grassroots Pantry 是香港首家引進巴西莓 (Acai Berry) 的店家，也經常使用亞麻籽、荞麥、苤藍、腰果、鷹嘴豆等健康食材。這裡采用 raw food 技巧來處理食材，包括發芽 (sprouting)、浸泡 (soaking)、發酵 (fermentation)、醃製 (pickling)、風乾 (dehydration) 等。比如，要入菜的種籽必須浸泡于自家榨制的堅果奶中至少8小時使之發芽，讓種籽的營養容易被人體吸收，是費時費力的烹調方法。

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Category: ESCAPADES

[Beijing 北京] Aman Summer Palace 頤和安縵

[Hong Kong] Toritama 酉玉

[Hong Kong 香港] The Cupping Room

[Hong Kong 香港] Rhoda

[Hong Kong 香港] Mott 32 卅二公館

[Hong Kong 香港] Teakha 茶。家

[Hong Kong 香港] J. Boroski

[Hong Kong 香港] Elephant Grounds

[Hong Kong 香港] Omotesando Koffee

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