Food – #festivaloflife

“Get sum Dim sum”

What do you think of when some one says, I’m going to Hong Kong? Maybe, the harbour ferries, Jackie Chan, or The Australian Martial arts film “The Man from Hong Kong”

I think of all these things, but mostly I think of Dim sum. Hong Kong is the place I learnt about the beautiful, crazy world of Dim sum. I’m sure everyone has had great Dim sum at a crowded noisy restaurant with trolleys of steaming goodness, but you’ve not truly experienced the ritual of Dim sum until you visit one in Hong Kong.

Ok, so how do you get authentic Dim sum in Hong Kong?

First you need training. I took a Dim sum walking tour with a young local, Ben Ho Leung Lam. Dim sum guide. Robert Koenig-Luck Vimeo.

I discovered there is a bit more to the experience then just shoving an endless supply of tasty food down your throat. Dim sum is a celebration of family and food. You could say its brunch asian style, but it can be eaten any time of the day. Dim in Cantonese means, “touch”, and sum means “Heart” Touch the heart. Ok, what is Yum Cha? Are they the same? Yes. Yum cha means drink tea. Hence the endless supply of tea at Dim sum, generally Oolong, Jasmine, chrysanthemum. Strong black Tea is used to clean the palate between bites. If you go to a Dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong, you may notice at the start of a meal, a pot of tea, bowl, plate, chopsticks, spoon and an extra-large bowl are placed on the table. Since the outbreak of SARS and swine flu many years ago, tea is used to wash all of the utensils and crockery you will use for your meal. This has become part of the Dim sum ritual, so don’t be afraid to ask for a bowl if you are not given one. It will ensure your plates, utensil are clean, and let your waiter know you are not a rookie. Ok so what do you eat. The short answer is whatever you want! But there are a few go to favorites.

Shu Mei pictured above is a pork and shrimp dumpling. Its delicious, and usually comes like the picture above, in a serve of four.

Pictured above top left is Cha siu Bao, pork bun. To the right, is chilli dipping sauce. You can dip what ever you want in chilli sauce. Dim sum is a taste festival of sweet and savoury. There are no rules! Mix it up however you like. Second from the left bottom is Ma Lai Gao, it’s basically a very light steamed sponge cake, normally vanilla. Bottom right is Nai Wong bao, a sweet egg custard filled steamed bun. Most Dim sum restaurants, will have a menu you can order off, (may not be in english) or just pick from the trolley as it comes around. Top middle is a typical Dim sum bill. As you take food from the trolley, or order, your waiter will stamp your bill. When you are finished, you present the stamped paper to pay. It is tradition, if you invite someone for Dim sum, you pay, or at least make an attempt to cover the bill.

Where is the best Dim sum in Hong Kong? The answer to this is, it’s all good, but if you want to eat from a one Michelin star Dim sum you’ll need to go to Tim Ho Wan, 9-11 Fuk Wing street, in Sham Shui Po. Tim Ho Wan Hong Kong.

barbeque Cha siu bao. Robert Koenig-Luck

The specialty at Tim Ho Wan is barbeque Pork bun. How could you make a pork bun better? This is how! A normal pork bun has a soft bao bun, filled with sweet savoury pork. Make that bun light and crunchy by baking it, add the same filling, and angels will dance on your tongue when you bite into this tasty creation.

My sample bill and menu above shows six dishes for $110 HK which is about $18 AUD or 14 USD. Tim Ho Wan is good! This means its popular. So when you go, you may need to line up and get a ticket for the next available table. The sign of a good Dim sum is not the people inside, it’s the line outside. Be prepared to sit wherever there is a spare seat. This may be at a table with other people, already eating. You can take advantage of this, and may have a better chance in small groups of two or more.

There is some good news. The success of Tim Ho Wan means they now have restaurants in Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Philippines, Taiwan, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpor and New York. So if you can’t get to the original in Hong Kong, check this link for other locations. Tim Ho Wan website.

Enjoy Dim sum, and the #festivaloflife.

My Hong Kong recommendations.

Yat Lok. Michelin star Roast meat. The Specialty is Goose.

Lin Heung Tea House. Very traditional family Dim sum tea house in Soho.

Spot the one western lady up the back (my beautiful wife) trying to order barbeque pork, not on the trolley. She did it! Two words and pointing. “Cha siu”. It was delicious!

Geisha of Gion.

Red Geisha — Smiling Geisha, Gion, Kyoto. Robert Koenig-Luck. 2018.

The very first time you see a Geisha floating down the street its…..Well, it looked like this.

I’m in Kyoto Japan. I’ve chosen to stay in Gion because I wanted to see a bit of the old capital of Japan. I’ve also read that “Memoirs of a Geisha” was filmed in the streets of Gion. I’ve told my lovely wife this, and she seems unconvinced about the presence of Geisha, until the first sighting. I’m pretty amazed myself, as a photographer (yes I’m on holiday) the chance to try to capture real life Geisha on the traditional Lantern lit streets of Kyoto is a bonus on my first trip to Japan. I’ve got a fast 50mm f 1.8 lens and a Giggling excited wife to share the experience.

Ok, so what are Geisha? From the dictionary; noun: geisha; plural noun: geishas; plural noun: geisha; noun: geisha girl; plural noun: geisha girls. A Japanese hostess trained to entertain men with conversation, dance, and song.

My definition. “Geisha are captivating, speedy and mysterious beautiful Artisan Japanese women.”

I’ve read there is a place called Gion corner. Some how, when out for a stroll at night to see a temple, We’ve stumbled across prime Geisha spotting territory!

Screen Shot 2018-05-23 at 6.00.23 pm — Apple Maps. Gion.

We are on a corner when a very speedy Geisha appears, my wife chases asking for a photo, I am embarrassed, until a spanish women says “Que Bonita” and clamps the geisha by the arm for a photo.The Geisha is trapped and smiles. The wife is not happy and glares at me, I refuse to use my powers for evil.

somewhere about the centre of the map, and down the street to the right,also along Hanamikoji dori St, at around 8:30 to 9 pm is where you’ll see the beautiful Geisha of Gion.

The mission is now, capture beautiful photos of Geisha and satisfy frothing wife with a picture that contains her and at least one Geisha, whilst not using my powers for evil! I always love a challenge, so night two, despite the rain I’m poised like a paparazzi waiting for the Royal family. At first I notice a few well dressed Japanese men and friends are disturbed by my lurking. I’m not the only one. A french man with two cameras does the 100m in 8.5 secs to get a shot. I lower my weapon whenever businessmen are leaving establishments. My cunning plan, and instructions to wife are, stand in one spot for me to get focus and don’t move. When geisha are in sight you will need to move left or right so I can get you in shot. For once , she does not question this, must be the magic of Kyoto.

The sequence above is what it took to get the shot which satisfied her, and let me go and drink beer and eat some fried chicken and ramen. It was worth it for this.

Geisha of Gion and happy wife. Robert Koenig-Luck

Who would have thought wandering around the streets of Kyoto and not spending 1000’s of Yen could provide so much Fun!

Red Geisha, Gion, Kyoto. Robert Koenig-Luck.

The Geisha of Gion are mesmerizing and beautiful. If you get a chance, take a little time and just watch them move gracefully down the street. It will make the old capital Kyoto magical, and help you celebrate the #festivaloflife.

I stayed at; Ms Inn Higashiyama.

My Ramen recommendation; Musoshin Ramen

“One night in Bangkok, and……”

The Grand Palace. Bangkok River. Robert Koenig-Luck

I’m in Yaowarat road, Chinatown, Bangkok. And I’ve got the 1984 song by rapper Murray Head, stuck, in my head.

I’m singing…. “One night in Bangkok is enough for anyone” The lyrics are actually.

“One night in Bangkok and the worlds your Oyster”.

I’ve not seen an oyster yet! but the street food in Chinatown is incredible! People are lining up for all kinds of food. There are smells, sights, sounds and neon colour every where, in a nonstop assault on the senses. Tuk Tuk’s whiz by and people push past each other to shove something good in their mouths.

I’ve chosen to stay in Chinatown, because I want to experience and savour everything this street food mecca has to offer! I’ve done the research, looked at many food blogs and food shows, and they all point to Yaowarat road! I’ve managed to find a beautiful room at a chic 1940’s style hotel called Shanghai Mansion.

Shanghai Mansion. 481 Yaowarat Rd, Khwaeng Samphanthawong. Robert Koenig-luck

Yaowarat road is alive. It is about 8:30 pm, saturday night, and it’s still 32 degrees C and about 60% humidity. I’m hungry and thirsty. But where do I start. It’s pretty hard to get a table anywhere. People have been lining up since 5:30 pm. This is the go to place for hungry locals. My wife and I venture down a side street where its a little quieter. Restaurant after restaurant has fresh seafood, meat, and some stuff I can’t really identify. I look for the busy places full of locals, untill I see two seats up the back of one little shop. A very energetic Thai man shows my wife and I to a table, and immediately tries to sell us a dish we havent ordered. I say thankyou in Thai, we’d like to see a menu. He brings a menu and two large beers, (we havent ordered a drink yet). We are thirsty we take the beers. The menu is mainly in Thai, with the odd english word here and there. We look around the tables of people sitting nearby. The food looks delicious!. The joint is full. The Thai man rushes back with fresh squid and tells us, its best in a curry sauce. We accept, and ask for prawns, rice and vegetables to go with it. He rushes into the kitchen with the squid.

Squid in curry sauce. Robert Koenig-Luck

In less than ten minutes we are eating. The beer is cold, and the food is delicious. The curry squid is very tasty, and the sauce is so good, I keep mixing it with rice. My wife eats one of the enormous prawns, and then all of a sudden she is full! Whilst I’m still mopping up curry, she very kindly peels the remaining prawns. Pretty soon, I’m full, and after paying the bill, about 1000 Baht, with tip, we head back out into the steamy night air, and make our way back to the very comfortable air-conditioned Shanghai Mansion.

Our first adventure has been a success. We think we’ve paid premium to sit in a restaurant, but we don’t care. For about $20 Australian each, we’ve had a couple of drinks and some terrific local food.

Tomorrow night. Street food….

enjoy the #festivaloflife.

I stayed at; Shanghai Mansion Chinatown.

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