Portugal - The Perfect Hangover Sandwich

The Francesinha is a must-have sandwich in Porto

Check out this monster of a sandwich! 

It's called Francesinha, or "little French girl" in Portuguese. It's a substantial pick-me-up after partying all night -- which is what they do in Portugal! People can be seen staggering out of night clubs at dawn...

This sandwich (eaten with a knife and fork) is originally from Porto and in between two slices of toasted bread are a slice of roast steak, cured ham, and sausages that are cut lengthwise. The sandwich is then covered in melted cheese, topped with a fried egg, and then doused in a tomato and beer sauce called molho de francesinha. Many versions are also served with potato chips.

Four of us tackled this sandwich and after eating one-quarter of it, we were already half full!

Mon Lapin, One of Canada's Top Restaurants

Mon Lapin gives off relaxed, stylish vibes

Our last stop in Montreal was at Mon Lapin, one of the top restaurants in Canada. It's actually a wine bar that happens to serve fantastic food in a laid-back setting in Montreal's Little Italy. Some friends from Vancouver and Hong Kong recommended I go here so this was one of the first places I made a reservation after I booked my plane tickets.

Miramachi striped bass with brown butter sauce

So there was a lot of anticipation coming here and for the most part, it did not disappoint. Walking in, it feels like entering a casual brasserie, with granite tabletops, dark wooden chairs, and a giant antique silver punch bowl decorated with grapes to hold several bottles of chilled wine (in ice).

Our server, who wore shorts, was very surprised to discover we had made a long trek to Mon Lapin and gave us a warm welcome and explained the menu to us (as it was in French). 

We were mightily impressed by the first dish that came out, thinly sliced miramachi striped bass with half moon slices of turnip with a delicious dressing of brown butter sauce.

This was followed up with a refreshing summerly plate of BBQ cucumbers with plump shrimp. We absolutely loved the scallop sandwiches, thin slices of toasted bread and in between was scallop mousse playing on crunchy and smooth textures.

Whole Quebec lobster with salad and potatoes

Three of us just managed to polish off a whole Quebec lobster, the juicy, tender meat cooked perfectly, and was accompanied with buckwheat and rhubarb, along with a small salad and "crackers" made from thinly sliced potato slices that were deep fried.

We sampled two other mains, decadent roast duck with spinach and shiitake, and a hearty pork steak topped with fresh arugula and a sherry sauce. 

Our pre-dessert was to try two local cheeses, and then we ordered what we saw everyone else was having, buckwheat cake with honey and cheese. It was served on a cake platter and we felt like we were celebrating a successful Montreal trip where we got to try some delicious food!

Lovely crispy scallop sandwiches

Mon Lapin

150 Rue Saint-Zotique E

Little Italy, Montreal

514 379 4550

 

Montreal's Atwater Market

Atwater Market was built in 1930s Art Deco style

Chef Andersen Lee took us to his favourite public market in Montreal called Atwater Market near Lachine Canal. It's not touristy, more locals who come here to buy perennials and wines, as well as meats, vegetables and cheeses.

Thick-cut slices of smoked meat at Alywin's

The market is named after Edwin Atwater, a 19th century businessman and city councillor, and the Art Deco building opened in 1933 during the Great Depression in a bid to stimulate the economy. 

Inside there are two floors housing butchers, cheesemongers, a shop selling coffee beans, a boulangerie and patisserie. We went into Aylwin Deli to try their smoked meat sandwich (C$16) on rye and pumpernickel bread, but the thickly sliced meat tasted flat, with no peppery taste.

Nevertheless, we marvelled at the stalls selling an abundance of asparagus, not only green but purple and white as well, fresh bulbs of garlic, giant stalks of rhubarb, and fresh herbs.

Large selection of vegetables and fruits for sale

We also tried some pastries -- a coffee-flavoured eclair, and one with chocolate ganache inside, and a small lemon tart with lime zest. They were all delicious, washed down with a refreshing raspberry lemonade.

There were lots of baskets of colourful perennials to hang or place in small balcony boxes at home, while oenophiles enjoyed wandering the aisles of a giant wine shop selling a wide variety of bottles.

Lee likes to come here, pick out a bottle, buy some cheeses, cold cuts and a baguette and have a picnic.

It's such a French way of organising a casual bite that also tastes amazing -- with a glass of wine. 

If you don't drive, it's also relatively easy to get to Atwater Market by metro too.

Colourful perennials ready to be taken home

Atwater Market

155 Green Avenue

Montreal

C$13K Cheese Heist Gone Bad

Someone must really love eating cheese to steal that much

In the United Kingdom, cheese is under lock and key in supermarkets these days.

Supermarkets in Vancouver may want to follow suit after a man fled without almost C$13,000 worth of cheese back in late September.

The RCMP were on patrol on September 29 at 4am when they found a cart that was full of cheese outside a Whole Foods in North Vancouver.

The police found it suspicious and began to investigate, but the suspect soon fled the scene without his massive stash of cheese.

However, even though the cheese was unopened, it could not be sold let alone consumed because it had left the fridge, according to constable Mansoor Sahak in a written statement.

The police have been patrolling high-crime areas and are asking for any information about this cheese heist.

Grocery Chain Closes in Hong Kong Adding to Retail Woes

Uselect supermarkets will be closing across Hong Kong

More closures happening in Hong Kong with supermarket chan Uselect closing all of its locations because of the city's retail slump.

Uselect is owned by state-owned China Resources Group, and its closure comes days after its health product business CR Care announced it was shutting all 19 of its shops in November after 13 years in Hong Kong.

Uselect offered many UK-imported goods

Before the 2019 protests, Uselect opened in good locations and offered things like a large selection of cheeses at decent prices aimed at expats. It was also open later so I would sometimes pop in to buy something, or look around for discounts.

The supermarket chan had 100 locations in the city as recently as last year, but when it announced its closure on Sunday, only 40 were listed. 

When the 2019 protests broke out, some protesters targeted mainland Chinese businesses, but they managed to survive through the Covid-19 pandemic too. But perhaps shoppers would rather patronise local businesses.

Other closures:

An American brand called Garrett Popcorn is closing all of its locations as well after calling it quits on Hong Kong after 13 years.

UA Cinemas has also shuttered its six theatres across the city, unable to recover after there were mandatory closures of the theatres in 2020 for 190 days. 

The opening of Abercrombie & Fitch in 2012 

Dessert shop Holly Brown that served unusual ice cream flavours and specialty coffee, closed last June, while its subsidiary Cabin Crew Coffee also closed in August last year.

Grocery chain Dah Chong Hong (DCH) Food Mart announced in March it was closing all 28 branches after 39 years in Hong Kong. 

That said, Abercrombie & Fitch is coming back! There will be two locations, in Hysan Place in Causeway Bay and New Town Plaza in Sha Tin. The American fashion brand returns to Hong Kong eight years after it left Pedder Street where it paid an exorbitant amount for rent.

Everyone wants to know -- will they be bringing back the shirtless young men too?

Picture of the Day: Golden Sweetness in a Massive Bottle

A giant bottle of sauternes for dessert, please

I was very lucky to dine at a three Michelin-starred French restaurant in Hong Kong, the stunning Caprice in the Four Seasons Hong Kong.

Helmed by chef Guillaume Galliot, the food is impeccable and so is the service. Guests are spoiled rotten throughout the meal with the tempting bread basket that you must resist otherwise you will quickly fill up your stomach, and the cheese trolley is an olfactory bouquet if that's your idea of fromage heaven.

And to finish the meal, how about a splash of sauternes with your dessert? The best of course.

The wait staff carry out a 2014 Chateau d'Yquem in a massive bottle -- is it a Salmanazar (9 litres or 12 bottles) or Balthazar (12 litres or 16 bottles)?  

The sommelier has definitely worked out his biceps because he has no problems pouring a bit of the sweet golden wine from the giant bottle.

We later checked out where the cheeses were stored in the chef's table dining room, and tucked in the back are several of these large empty wine bottles!

Picture of the Day: Hong Kong Rarebit

Hong Kong Rarebit at the Lobster Bar

This is a Hong Kong Rarebit that is served at the Lobster Bar in the Island Shangri-La in Admiralty

It's a take on the Welsh Rarebit, which is typically hot cheese sauce with stout, ale or beer with Worcestershire sauce and mustard on toasted bread. 

The dish dates back to the 1500s when working-class families could not afford to eat rabbit, so this was the next best thing.

This one is called Hong Kong Rarebit because it has a bit of oyster sauce in it instead of stout to bump up the umami flavour.

And it's sooo good. The gooeyness of the cheese contrasts with the light crunchiness of the toast. Pop it into your mouth and it's a heavenly revelation!