As Mid Autumn Festival approaches, the time is coming for me to shove an ungodly amount of mooncakes into my mouth until I start to resemble the moon herself. But, before we dive into the cosy autumn months, I want to take a quick look back at this past summer through the lens of food! I was hit by a moment of introspection as I was scrolling through my camera roll looking through some memories of this past summer, when I noticed a large majority of pictures I took this past season were top down shots of things I had been eating, people I was eating with, and meals from notable moments.
Barbecue beachside snacks at Shek O Beach. We brought home a box of siu mai because of course we did.
With global lockdowns and social distancing keeping us apart from the homies, I had almost begin to forget what it was like to not eat a meal that George (and I, but definitely mostly George) cooked at home. One of the reasons we were so looking forward to coming home to Hong Kong was to eat, but Miss ‘Rona was absolutely not allowing for any such gatherings this year. The few times that we were allowed out we took the opportunity to grab some of the foods we had been really craving while we were abroad. Anything and everything from beach-side siu mai to Michelin star Thai food, if it was safe to leave the house we were on the hunt for a good bite.
Huevos Rancheros + Masala Chai and Hochija Latte @ Teakha
If you're one of my friends reading this, you will know exactly, which two restaurants I have been obsessed with since we got home. Drum roll please - yep, you guessed it, it's Teakha and Samsen. They're both just SO. GOOD. So let's start with Teakha. The few times I went there this summer was to catch up with old friends. There's just something so lovely about having tea with an old friend and spending hours upon hours chatting up a storm about who's sleeping with who and whether or not college was a waste of money. The huevos rancheros toast is also to die for and it's definitely the best avo-toast I've ever had.
An impromptu lunch date with George @ Samsen Wan Chai
The second place is Samsen, a street-style Thai place in Wan Chai and Sheung Wan that has skyrocketed it's way into my favourite Thai food in the city. One of my best friends took me there in the pre-covid times (remember going outside?) and I've tried to bring as many people there as possible because the ambiance of both locations just transports me to another world. The food is also absolutely to die for, but I'll let the Michelin stars speak for themselves. The Wagyu beef fried rice is my go to every time! It seems strange to put so much stock into one small restaurant but with the craziness of life right now, sharing really good food with people I love is one of life's small pleasures that makes a big impact on me.
Lastly, the above picture is one that I didn't think would hold much meaning at all but it was pretty much the catalyst for this whole post. It's a picture of the lunch we had the day my mum moved into her new apartment. The sadness we felt with her leaving my childhood home and the fact our family was now one member down, coupled with the excitement of being in a new place for this new chapter of her life, it felt both totally fitting and weirdly discordant to have a grown up “happy meal” on a day that was decidedly very bittersweet.
Even though summer is coming to a close, Hong Kong seems to be opening back up. Hopefully we'll be on track to getting to eat out a whole lot more this autumn and winter as the pandemic fatigue is really starting to settle in. In any case, I'll continue to take pictures and maybe an instagram post of a chicken nugget will spark another one of these posts - or maybe a particularly good burger? Anyways, I digress!
Until next time,
Mid Autumn Festival approaches, and the time comes for me to shove an ungodly amount of mooncakes into my mouth. But, before we dive into the cosy autumn months, let's take a quick look at this past summer through the lens of food!