Weekend Indulgence

Another good weekend in Hong Kong, and some more experiences gained and smiled at.

Since this entry is rather food heavy let me start off by saying first up Saturday morning I enjoyed a double boxing class. Nothing quite like having a fitness instructor pull up her shirt half way to reveal a perfect set of abs screaming, 'Hurt me HERE', to target your kicks and punches and evaporate any tension. No need to go into detail but I needed the 2 hours after my Friday.

 Saturday morning's coffee and newspaper proved to be amusing - it highlighted the Dutch are now experiencing 'survival of the fittest' as apparently they are suffering from bicycle overcrowding. While I don't deny The Netherlands is packed with cyclists and bicycles, considering Hong Kong's population and overcrowding problem it seemed the least likely country to crique this problem.

What made it funnier was the same weekend the local social paper called HK featured the need for Hong Kong to use more bicycles and attempt to be a cycling city. Never mind about the lack of space and road etiquette, I'm thinking of the shocking air quality and guessing the health benefits of cycling will quickly diminish once that is taken into account.

And finally, imagine trying to cycle through this sea of people?

Moving along... this weekend I found a new food to try: 

The humble Persimmon or Sharon fruit.

I can't believe I have waited this long to taste it - it was much better than I expected. I somehow was thinking tomato flavour but it is sweeter, more like an apricot. Firm on the inside with three pips, I can see how this could be good in stews and cooking too. Also perhaps as a dessert sauce for ice-cream or brownies.

While on the topic of food, my Dearest treated me to dinner on Saturday evening at Socialito, Wyndham Street, the hippest new Mexican place in town that everyone seems to be talking about. 

The outside lunch venue we had enjoyed before, it was relaxed, fun with some tasty food, so we entered the evening setting with high expectations. The inside dining area was more formal, had some well balanced deco of lights/wall fittings and friendly service. 

But the menu was trying too hard. The drinks and food all had this intense musky overtone to them, and the options were too expensive for my liking.  The food was good but very rich and the medium sized portions were the maximum that could be enjoyed. Below is the duck breast served on bread textured layer offset with black beans and corn. Oh and some pretty presentation for both meals and drinks.

Afterwards we hopped over to Le Boudoir, a sexy little hideout on Wyndham Street.  The heavenly cocktails matched the swanky lush deco that I wanted to reach out and touch. The music and atmosphere were perfect. You know, music you can hear and still hold a conversation and vibey and enticing enough that I felt like bringing out my feather boa and moving the booty.  And I did, my favourite 10mins of the week. Ooh la la. With cocktail in hand I observed that even the uptight types loosened within a few minutes. 

But the weekend wasn't over....after church on Sunday morning we took a stroll down Queensway Road and I couldn't help but notice the row of car show rooms lined up one after the other. And of course because this is Hong Kong, these are no ordinary car show rooms.

Rolls Royce

Mclaren

Mini

 Mercedes Benz

Sigh. But we did get another little taste of luxury later that day...

As if Le Boudoir on Saturday night wasn't enough indulgence I was introduced to SIFT, the makers of the most perfect cupcakes I have ever tasted. I devoured a Red Velvet with cream cheese topping, 5 mins of pure bliss. The texture was such that it didn't stick to the wrapper, had a little bounce, was melt in the mouth, didn't crumble and fall apart, had a glowing aftertaste. I will admit I was supposed to share the cupcake, but poor J got about a quarter. The price for this little piece of heaven matches the experience but was worth it, in fact I think it even makes up for the plane ticket to get here to experience this. If ever I am on a diet this is what I will break it for.

And finally because this is my blog and I can brag if I want to, I'll share that I have the most perfect boyfriend. Since I arrived back I have received a rose a day. This was Sunday's pick.