A gastronomic adventure in HK

MANILA, Philippines - I find it ironic that I have friends who live in my neighborhood that I don’t see for years but when I go abroad I bump into them even twice in one day.

I normally stay home during the lull between Christmas and New Year and just enjoy the city minus the traffic and crowds. Besides, airline tickets and hotel rooms are at peak rates during the time period so why bother — but because this year we worked even on Christmas Day and got really stressed, I decided on a two-day break in Hong Kong.

We would have headed for Japan, Korea or the US for a white Christmas if only we had the luxury of time and funds. For people like us who only have two to three days to spare, Hong Kong, 90 minutes away by plane, was the best compromise. We were booked on PR318 scheduled to depart at 10 a.m. on Dec 26. Late Christmas night, I received a text message from Philippine Airlines (PAL) informing me our flight was canceled due to typhoon Nina. There was only one flight out of Manila of the four daily PAL flights to Hong Kong that didn’t get canceled, which was the first flight to Hong Kong PR300 that departs at 7:50 a.m. I needed divine intervention from the gods of PAL. Thankfully, my ever-reliable schoolmate and idol Jimmy Bautista came to the rescue and we literally got the last two seats on the flight.

It was a very bumpy and hairy ride from taxi to take off. Prior to boarding, I bumped into an old friend and compadre whom I only see on the nightly newscast, former VP Noli de Castro whom I worked with during our early radio days. Unfortunately, we were unable to continue our conversation because he was seated at the front of the plane and we were at the tail.

Hong Kong was bursting at the seams with vacationing Pinoys. There were so many familiar faces at Ocean Centre where we killed time waiting for our room to get ready.

Another schoolmate, friend and compadre Vic Sotto together with lovely wife Pauleen Luna were also in the same predicament of ours, killing time and waiting for their room to get ready. We chatted and exchanged yuletide greetings then headed back to Marco Polo Hotel to check if our rooms were ready.

Ironically, we bumped into the newlywed Sottos again the next day at the same mall and Vic intimated that the Sotto clan arrived yesterday, including Sen. Tito and Helen, Val, Maru and niece Sharon Cuneta with hubby Sen. Kiko Pangilinan and daughter KC Concepcion, while Pauleen recommended to my wife a good restaurant we should try.

Later that afternoon, we crossed to the Hong Kong side the old-fashioned way on a ferryboat for our dinner with another compadre and “pilgrimate” newly-installed BCDA chairman Greg Garcia. On the way to our dinner, we bumped into my clothing tycoon friend Vic Siasat of Guess, Mossimo, Gold’s Gym and Mango fame with family at the Landmark complex which was just a few steps away from our dinner venue — the famous Michelin guide recommended Mott 32, a popular Hong Kong landmark that features fusion Chinese. Greg accompanied by the affable and bubbly better half Myrna together with gourmet daughters Cherish, Junie and MM.

The three-hour dinner was simply superb with a seemingly endless stream of fine dining delights that began with the black truffle infused Xiao Long Bao. Highlights of the dinner were the buttery tender A5 Wagyu Ribs, awesome Crispy Chicken and the indescribably delicious Peking Duck slowly roasted in apple wood. By the time dessert arrived, it was already close to 11 p.m. and we had to say our goodbyes in order to catch the last ferry to Kowloon.

The next day, we spent the whole morning at the overcrowded Toys R Us jostling for space to locate the toys our kids requested. Very exhausting. I spent early afternoon in my food heaven City Super and drooled over the fresh French oysters flown in from Brittany, evenly marbled Japanese Wagyu beef and various brands of Spanish Iberico hams while my wife was on the phone conducting business even on our holiday. At 5:30 p.m., we met up with our friends Tony and Bing of Jollibee with the entire clan in tow for dinner at Jade Garden.

Another endless parade of delights arrived at our table that started with various plates of dimsum. For me, the dinner highlight was the freshly stir-fried Tom Yao in garlic. This vegetable is normally available only during winter and is something to look forward to just like the Shanghai or hairy crab, which is only available close to winter season.

Fully stuffed, we decided to walk around for an hour to burn calories before heading back to the room.

Our last day in Hong Kong was as busy as the first. Breakfast was with the young and good-looking tandem Glenn and Winston of Wilbros Live. These guys bring to Manila some of the biggest artists including Bryan Adams. Our conversation centered on our business with a little gossip on the side. I found out that their major business was pharmaceuticals and that concert promotion was just a hobby. Talk about big time.

We were informed by PAL that our 6 p.m. departure has been moved to 8:15 p.m. which was OK because it extended our stay. For lunch, we traversed the Victoria Harbour once again on ferry to meet up with long time friend and compadre Amb. Amable Aguiluz V of AMA together with heir apparent Harvard-educated Miguel Aguiluz. The entire Aguiluz family has been vacationing in Hong Kong since Dec. 21 and will return to Manila after the holidays. Lunch venue was Lawry’s Prime Rib which I wasn’t aware opened a branch in Hong Kong. I’ve always enjoyed Lawry’s Prime Rib whether in Singapore, Beverly Hills or Las Vegas. Joining for lunch were Greg and Myrna Garcia. As always, the Prime Rib was superb washed down with Moet Chandon bubbly and spiced with lots of reminiscing and political gossip. By 3 p.m., we crossed back to Kowloon and did more shopping for the kids then retrieved our luggage from the hotel concierge. Because we had already checked out the room, we were relegated to repacking our luggage at the hotel lobby. It was like washing your dirty linen in public. Embarrassing but fun. I always do it anyway and have been immune to the stares.