Little Kitchen by David Forestell

The serene and soothing Little Kitchen

During our annual visit to Hong Kong last year, our friend, chef David Forestell and his wife Vivian invited us to dinner at their tiny apartment in Sai Wan Ho. When I say tiny apartment, I mean tiny apartment. It was a tight fit for we three strapping Canadians and the petite and pregnant Vivian all at the same time.

Our dinner was fabulous. 

For hours, David effortlessly brought dish after deliciously crafted dish from the kitchen and as we feasted we talked about our mutual love for tea and food, the pending arrival of the baby, and David and Vivian's preparations for opening a new restaurant that they would eventually call "Little Kitchen."

When dinner was done and we could eat no more, I asked to see the kitchen, imagining that since David was a professional chef, it would be massive.  I was wrong.  The kitchen was about the size of 4 telephone booths stuck together.  I was speechless.  How could he create such a stunning feast in so small a space?

I left their apartment that night in silent admiration for David's talents and a spoken promise to never complain about the size of my own kitchen again.

Not long after our dinner, David opened his Little Kitchen a few blocks from his and Vivian's apartment in Sai Wan Ho and when he invited us to be his guests again it's all we could talk about in the days leading up to it.

To say that Little Kitchen was an unique dining experience is not really doing it justice. David has created something exceptional that begins with the colourful walk from the MTR (Hong Kong's subway) through the lively streets of Sai Wan Ho.

A few of the colourful food shops along Shing On Street

Sai Wan Ho is not a neighbourhood that caters to tourists. It's a slightly gritty, down to earth sort of place with a steady hum of traffic noise, buzzing crowds, towering high-rise apartment buildings and no English signs nor speakers.

We took the MTR from Kowloon where we were staying to the Sai Wan Ho stop, and climbed our way back into the light of day.  After crossing the busy, crowded main street, we made our way to Shing On Street which was lined with shops piled high with fruits, vegetables, dry goods and heaps of medicinal herbs, many of which we couldn't identify. Most of the shops had chaotically plunked bins of this and that outside on the sidewalks turning them into culinary labyrinths making them difficult to negotiate given the number of other people trying doing the same.  We turned left.

Top left then clockwise:  a little ginger visitor.
"Up the back" alleyway behind Little Kitchen.
A nearby food vendor where David sources some of his ingredients
Look up - Little Kitchen is on the second floor.

On the second floor of a 6-storey turquoise-coloured building on Sai Wan Ho Street, festooned with hanging laundry, peeling paint, tangled electrical wires, and air conditioners clinging to window sills for dear life, is Little Kitchen.

Circle marks the spot

"Those who know, come up the back," reads the website.  "The back" being a gritty, somewhat dubious-looking alleyway. We chose to enter through the front which is a shared with the other building tenants.  We climbed the narrow staircase with a father and son who were headed home for the night.  

After our colourful journey we weren't sure what to expect when we arrived but any uncertainty that had formed in our minds went "poof" the minute we walked through the door. The light, the decor and the greeting combined to give the room a zen-like, soothing ambiance.  We instantly felt relaxed, and looking forward to dinner.

Because we'd arrived early, we snagged a coveted table facing the open kitchen so we could watch David at work at the stove and the pass.   Behind us were tall windows facing the street that filled the room with daylight that gradually transitioned into an ever-changing light show thanks to the outdoor neon signs hanging from the buildings across the street.

The view from our table

Our dinner was truly delicious. 

David prepared a special, five course vegetarian menu for us that began with a glass of carrot soup topped with goat cheese foam and ended with fresh mint tea and a little paper bag filled with delicate, just-baked sablées to take home. 

Non-vegetarian diners are treated to David's creative, seasonal, prose-like fixed menu that changes each week.  

Here's this week's menu:

FIRSTS

Artichoke Salad: Variations on Theme, 

Counterpoints of Bitter, Sweet and Herbal

NEXTS

French Duck and Lentils: 

Tamed and Rigorously Formed, 

Accents of Sour, Caramelization and Concentration

MAINS

MSC Atlantic Cod: Sustainably Caught, 

Substantiated with Ocean Memories, 

Summer Hopes and Green Intensity

FINISH

Really Red Cherries: Multiple Renderings, 

Supported by Richness, 

Sweet/Tart Balance, and Crunch

Top left then clockwise:
Teaware, David plating,
the sturdy dining tables designed by David
David plating,

We loved everything about Little Kitchen.  We loved the contrast between the quirky outside setting and the peaceful, pristine, zen-like inside.   We loved sitting at the thick wood dining tables that David designed himself.  We loved the unique dishware and the feel of the paper thin glassware that he'd brought back from Japan.  And above all, we loved the food.

Despite what culinary magazines lead you to believe, finding a chef like David with the confidence and skill to express his unique culinary vision is rare to find. If you're in Hong Kong you should go.

We can hardly wait to visit again next year. 

Fresh herbs on the back balcony

Top left, then clockwise: look for the Little Kitchen sign
Holiday decoration
Dishware from Japan
The business cards mimic the floor tiles

Visit the Little Kitchen Website here

Seeking Nostalgia on Cat Street

 

Lately it seems I've been seeking nostalgia.  

I've started a collection of scratchy, old French 78 RPM shellac records that I love listening to on my equally old and scratchy French gramophone.  The idea of digging through boxes of old photographs and postcards or finding a shelf of vintage cookbooks makes me giddy.  Perhaps it will pass, probably when I run out of space.

Wherever I travel, I research the local flea markets and garage sales, any nook and cranny where I may find treasures.  God love Hubby for indulging me.

I can't quite put my finger on exactly what it is about an old photograph that pulls me in and makes me want to own it.  I think it starts with the sense that a moment in time is being captured.  Following that, I feel a wistfulness that perhaps the person in the photo passed away and that's how it wound up in a box of old photos:  given away by accident or worse, by heirs who saw no value in keeping it. 

I pull myself out of this swirl by imagining that it was once a treasured possession for someone in the past.  It's a little bit of an emotional storm.

In Hong Kong recently, I poked around Cat Street, always a gold mine of quirky vintage goodies even though some of them are overpriced for the tourist trade.  I found some intriguing black and white photos and some 2 1/4" transparencies that have lost all their once vibrant colours over time and faded to a cheery pink.  After a bit of negotiating, (natch) they were mine.  

Who are the people in these images?  Are they still alive?  What were their lives like and how did these photographs manage to end up in a dusty old box of photos on Cat Street?  

I wish I knew...

 

 

 

 

The Organic Farmers' Market at the Star Ferry Terminal

With about 100 Government-run wet markets in Hong Kong, traditional street markets sprinkled here and there and outstanding "western style" supermarkets, the average food shopper in Hong Kong is spoiled for choice with 'round-the-clock access to fresh fruits and veg.  Oh, how I envy them!

Hong Kong's official certificate of organic produce

Finding organic, sustainable produce grown locally on the other hand, is a different story.  

Over the years, I've sought them out like a hound and visited two in Kowloon, Mei Foo and Tai Po.  I'd have to say though, that the Star Ferry Terminal Market on Hong Kong Island stands out in my mind as the most engaging, family friendly and by far the easiest to find.  After paying 34¢ each to ride in first class, we jumped on the ferry in Kowloon, snapped a few pics while we bobbed up and down in the harbour, and "poof," we were there.

The market is run every Sunday by LOHAS Square or Lifestyle-Of-Health-And-Sustainability.  Simply put, their mission is to educate people on ways of sustainable living.  Organic farming, networking within the community and recycling being three of many.

About 10 or so certified local organic food vendors were gathered in the centre of the terminal. Around the perimeter, a few other vendors were selling non-food items made from recycled materials.  I bought a charming cat key chain made from recycled fabric.  There was also a soap making demonstration under way. 

While we were wandering around the market munching on carrots and strawberries, I stopped at one of the booths where they were making little lanterns and candy dishes from used red  Lai See packets so of course I had to jump in and give it a try.  

I sat next to an adorable 5-year-old girl and together we followed detailed instructions from the teacher while the little girl's mom generously translated for me.  I made a gold fish.  She made a beautiful candy dish.  Clearly she'd done this before.

A second life for Lai See packets

After trying my hand at that, next to the Lai See booth was another craft booth, this one, Chinese paper cutting or Jianzhi.  The Jianzhi instructor pulled out samples of the different patterns you could make.  Some of them were incredibly ornate and skilfully done.  After a brief consultation, he suggested I give "Double Happiness" a shot and traced an outline in pencil where I was to cut with my tiny, sharp scissors.  With yet another young girl beside me and Hubby encouraging me from the sidelines, we got down to it.

Like the other Farmers' markets, the vendors here were passionate about the food they grow, offered us samples of their products and were very gracious and patient even though we had no hope of ever conversing with each other. 

But the calm and communal atmosphere of the market and the lovely vendors drew us in and left us with a warm and lasting memory.  And a nice Lai See gold fish.

 

Ugly is Beautiful. The Organic Farmers' Market at Mei Foo

Of all the Farmers' Markets I've visited around the globe, and there have been many, the setting for the Mei Foo Farm Fest in Hong Kong has to be the ugliest.

The neighbourhood of Mei Foo was built during the mid '60's to late '70's on reclaimed land that was formerly petroleum storage for Exxon Mobil so already we're in trouble.

The market is beside an inter-city bus station, under a noisy, concrete highway overpass, surrounded by chain link fence and hemmed in by 99 water- streaked high rise towers, most of them a lifeless grey. To top it all off, the day we visited, the air was thick with pollution making it a bit difficult to take a deep breath.

And yet, of the three organic farmers' markets I've visited in Hong Kong, Mei Foo was the largest with the widest variety of fresh fruit and veg, dry goods and cosmetics. 
  

The interesting thing was that once we started to wander through the market, engaging with the vendors and seeing all the lovely things they had on offer, the ugliness of the surroundings disappeared.  Even though only two or three of the 25 or so vendors spoke English, everyone was generous with samples and happy to let me take photos. 

Eggfruit.  Something strange and new

We tasted eggfruit or pouteria for the first time.  Its outer flesh was yellow but inside was an orange-coloured interior with a pasty texture that tasted like cooked pumpkin even though it was raw.

If I'd had a kitchen available, I'd have stuffed my bags with fruit and veg, all of which were fresh, robust looking and quite cheap.

Instead, we settled for some sweet, fresh strawberries, a few star fruit with a deep and complex taste that I've never experienced from star fruit before, some freeze dried strawberries that I intend to grind to a powder and sprinkle on vanilla ice cream and of course a few of the strange eggfruit.

I learned something from my visit to Mei Foo that day.  Even surrounded by ugliness you can find beauty.  

If you do go, and I think you should if you have the chance, it's easy to get to.  Take the MTR's Tsuen Wan Line to Mei Foo and take Exit B.  

When you reach daylight, go west and follow the Lai Chi Kok Road that runs parallel to the Kwai Chung overpass that will be on your right.  

A few minutes along the Lai Chi Kok Road, under the overpass you'll find the market and you'll see the vendors' tables draped in green.

For further adventures, continue on the Lai Chi Kok Road and you'll reach the Mei Foo wet market that's worth a look too.

The Mei Foo (美孚) Farm Fest

Sundays from 11am to 5pm

 Mei Foo Farm Fest facebook page