7-11 Shooters and Massive Cookies

Talk of the Town

Oh. My. God. I can’t believe I’m working on the annual restaurant guide—has it been a year already? The point is, it’s going to be out by the end of the month, and a lot of blood and sweat went into it, so y’all better pick up a copy and enjoy it! Don’t get this one confused with the HK Eats guide, which came out last September. While HK Eats lists places to go for different occasions, the

Restaurant Guide 2012 is a more comprehensive compilation of the restaurants we’ve reviewed in the past year, as well as age-old dining staples. Our designers have toiled long and hard on the cover and layout, and I can’t wait to see the final product. Here’s a sneak peek of our cover, which our superstar designer Pierre hand-painted with soy sauce, coffee and other edible products. Can you feel the excitement? 

Speaking of excitement, it’s a bit late for me to get excited about portable shots in plastic shot glasses (I’m no teenybopper tossing drinks on the sidewalk) but I have to hand it to the folks at Zavva to come up with just such an ingenious product, available at 7-Elevens and various supermarkets. These multi-colored Zavva shots are gonna be the biggest-selling drink at Club 7-Eleven sooner or later—I can already see it now. The way it works: every Zavva shot glass comes with two separate compartments, each filled with a different flavor of liquor—and when you tear off the foil cover at the top, you’re able to drink both liquors at the same time. In short, it’s a ready-to-drink-shot that you pay $20—instead of hundreds at an LKF bar—for. There are four types of shots on the market: jade bomb (think a healthier version of jager bomb), black pearl (coffee and vanilla cream), China white (butterscotch and velvet cream) and red joy (raspberry and velvet cream). I have a half-opened jade bomb on my desk and one whiff evokes aromas of Red Bull and cough medicine (undoubtedly from the “herbal” liquor)—both key components of a good shot, in my humble opinion.

Peking duckers, this one’s for you: Beijing’s de facto Peking duck institution, Da Dong, is making its second appearance at Mandarin Oriental’s Man Wah (Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Rd. Central, 2522-0111) from April 25 to May 1 so you can experience its raved-about ducks and dishes without ever leaving the city. How convenient! Expect melt-in-mouth crispy brown skin, delicate wrap pastries and colorful condiments as part of the whole duck experience. Also expect weird-sounding-but-delectable ingredients like squid egg (!!) and Chinese “toon” (aka ma lan tou veggies) in the other impeccably presented dishes. Da Dong executive chef Shi Xiusong has even given some of his dishes a thoughtful Chinese poem to “match”—you know, so that lovely images of mountains and nature float in your head while you devour the food. I can personally vouch for the delectability of the meal, although I can’t say how it compares to the real thing. (Last time I was in Beijing I was brought to sorta-rival Quanjude instead.) Starting at $528 per head for a six-course lunch, you can decide for yourself. Book in advance!

Watch Out For…

Zummer (23/F & 25/F, QRE Plaza, The East, 202 Queen’s Rd. East, Wan Chai, 2574-6692): A massive multi-purpose two-story restaurant for fine dining and other gastronomical adventures. The upper floor is white and bright, while the lower floor is more romantic and chill. A tasting menu starts at $588; the dishes are vaguely western (you got confit of duck leg and spaghetti ai frutti di mare fighting alongside char-grilled US steaks).

Where To Go…

…for a massive cookie: Since extending over to the ground level of L Place, Linguini Fini (G/F-1/F, The L Place, 139 Queen’s Rd. Central, 2857-1333) has started making proper American-sized cookies for the highly affordable price of $28 per piece. Take your pick of chocolate chip or all-chocolate; both are rich and delish and made especially for dark chocolate fans. Oatmeal raisin variety available too. Oh, and we hear ice-cream sandwiches are on their way. Yummeh!

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