Happy Foodies

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironwulf/5222769571/in/set-72157625263656779/"><img alt="Baked Bun with BBQ Pork" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5249/5222769571_cb6fd4ff03_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Baked Bun with BBQ Pork (HK$12)</figcaption></figure> It's already past mid-afternoon when we, armed with maps from the HK airport, alighted at the MTR station in the Mongkok district. Nina (of <a href="http://justwandering.org">Just Wandering</a>) whetted our collective appetites with a tale of a much-written about hole-in-the-wall place that serve this really different kind of siopao. Since we we were in the vicinity for a look-see of Mongkok's electronic shops later in the afternoon, we thought why not find the place and taste for ourselves? Turns out the place wasn't really hard to find as we ran into a motley group of hungry diners, both local and foreign, hogging the sidewalk along Kwong Wa Street. We were given a number and told to wait an hour.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironwulf/5186859694/in/set-72157625263656779/"><img alt="Roasted Suckling Pig with Steamed Piggy Mask Buns" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/5186859694_a5a1b15eb8_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Roasted Suckling Pig with Steamed Piggy Mask Buns</figcaption></figure> Once upon a time, travel bloggers who were also happy foodies, were sent to a not so far away Disneyland perchance to savor the ride but first, to partake of the food offerings... On our first day in <a href="http://synad2.nuffnang.com.sg/nn_gtrack.php?click&gid=10387">Hong Kong Disneyland</a>, the first order of the day wasn't a fancy ride nor a character meet-and-greet. It's lunch. Yep, the Disney magic transcends the senses of sight and touch and spills over onto taste. All that talk while growing up about not playing with your food and here we are, looks like the chefs were the ones who played around with theirs. You could say we were in for an interesting lunch.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oggie/5184263656/in/set-72157625407637314/"><img alt="Mak's Pork Dumpling and Wonton" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1279/5184263656_c08af729c1_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mak's Pork Dumpling and Wonton</figcaption></figure> We capped our first day in HK watching the sunset and admiring the early dusk view of the Kowloon and Central nightscape at the viewdeck of Victoria Peak. Boy, was it a chilly 19 degrees up there with the wind adding to the cold. We chanced upon Mak's on the way out of the Galleria mall, the warm lighting looked inviting and the thought of having hot soup on a chilly night sounded like a good idea.

<figure><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlwrObEV4hGNkCKeKURDZ5Uu-gha7KSDowF5SHcRqKaz9IucDbX0_0FvYAQ3QQ_FS9ozeF5hOePvSkcAAfriV92N99x7gppC1CvCr9v8W95jn_mxSzMCXDx1APxMb_uzvHwocbFEnnmymgP3eq-XXmFfC4AhyphenhyphenICspXHf143iuReQNowBiuOBmb8zrNBc/s1024/wabi-sabi-2010.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlwrObEV4hGNkCKeKURDZ5Uu-gha7KSDowF5SHcRqKaz9IucDbX0_0FvYAQ3QQ_FS9ozeF5hOePvSkcAAfriV92N99x7gppC1CvCr9v8W95jn_mxSzMCXDx1APxMb_uzvHwocbFEnnmymgP3eq-XXmFfC4AhyphenhyphenICspXHf143iuReQNowBiuOBmb8zrNBc/s16000/wabi-sabi-2010.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Wabi-sabi Noodle House Window</figcaption></figure> Yeah, I know the drill. Eat your veggies. Eat more of 'em. And eat 'em more often. Well, I'm no veggie hater; it's just that pork, chicken and beef are just too commonplace and admittedly, too good to pass up come mealtime. Vegemeat dishes are okay but there aren't a lot of places that serve them, and honestly, the dishes fall short on taste. Call it serendipity or luck but your Happyfoodies are just too happy to have stumbled upon a really nice veggie place -- Wabi-Sabi Noodle House & Vegetarian Grocery at The Collective in Makati. We're just too glad to find somewhere we can seek penance for all those trips to the nearby 8065 Bagnet.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironwulf/5032292024/"><img alt="Halo Halo de Iloko" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5032292024_756c496fe1_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Halo Halo de Iloko Special</figcaption></figure> Ah, the halo-halo. This quintessential Pinoy cooler is literally a hodge podge of locally-available ingredients. Just like the ubiquitous adobo, it varies from province to province with iterations that change partly due to what’s available, partly to what tickle the taste buds of the locals.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironwulf/4814923815/in/set-72157624078717746/"><img alt="Prawn with Cheese Coctail" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4814923815_7cf06015aa_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Prawn with Cheese Cocktail</figcaption></figure> There are Portuguese Restaurants, and there are Portuguese Restaurants with style. And the latter is where I would put this small homey restaurant called Antonio Restaurante at Taipa Island's Old Quarters, owned by Macau celebrity chef, Antonio Coelho. We tagged along with him that morning while he bought the ingredients he will use for the dishes he will serve that evening.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironwulf/4814874291/?reuploaded=1"><img alt="Macanese Seafood Rice" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4814874291_7ca51d310d_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Macanese Seafood Rice</figcaption></figure> "This is where we take our special guests" Joao tells us. Of course we felt honored hearing that statement. If one wants to treat guests to try great-tasting Macanese food, Ristorante Litoral would be the best place to go. Chinese influences may have a big part in Macau cuisine being close to the country, but being under Portuguese rule for years, it's inevitable not to fuse the better of two influences into one distinct cuisine – Macanese. It's Portuguese Cuisine using the best of the local ingredients found in Macau.