Brewery: Deschutes Brewery Country: USA ABV: 6.4% Style: American IPA Other Notes: Citra, Mosaic and Nugget hops. 60 IBU
Brewer Description: (from bottle) This mouthwateringly delicious I.P.A. gets its flavor from a heavy helping of citra and mosaic hops. Don’t worry, no fruit was harmed in the making of this beer.
My rating: 5 My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.33 My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2
Intro: A friend brought this bottle to Hong Kong for me as its not available there yet. A 12oz bottle poured into a La Chouffe tulip. Best by 22 May 2015. Appearance: Poured a deep amber orange colour with slightly less than one finger head. It’s darker than most IPAs but appears clear. Aroma: It has a nice aroma but its not exactly leaping out. When it does appear though, its with nice tropical fruits and pine. Taste: Mango, pineapple, more tropical fruits, pine, so good… with some grapefruit bitter ending. Mouthfeel: Crisp, slightly sticky, medium body and medium carbonation. Feels great in my mouth. Overall: A very nice IPA which I would definitely buy again if I could somehow get my hands on more.
Brewery: Birra del Borgo Country: Italy ABV: 5.8% Style: Fruit Beer Other Notes: 21 IBU
Brewer Description: (from website) A romantic love story in a shade of pink between raspberries and our Duchessa. A passionate adventure made of spontaneous and controlled fermentation, passion, time. An extraordinary plot, to be sipped until the last drop. Rubus idaeus – raspberry – is the main character, our spelt beer Duchessa is the starting point. 100 grams of fresh fruit are added for every liter of beer; they start a wild fermentation that gives the beer a unique profile with a marked sharpness, well balanced by the berries’ smell. It perfectly substitutes a pink sparkling wine as an aperitif.
My rating: 4 My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.98 My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8
Intro: A unique bottle shape and raspberries practically sold itself to me. A 330ml bottle poured into a La Chouffe tulip glass. Label on the back says best before October 2016. Appearance: Poured a pinkish copper (rosa according to their own website), small amount of haze and very light head Aroma: First thought was apple juice, then lots of tart raspberries Taste: Definitely sour, acidic, tart raspberries and strawberry Mouthfeel: Very crisp, light body, light carbonation but a bit sticky at the end Overall: Went down easy like drinking juice. I like the sour tart raspberry flavour but would have preferred more carbonation
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Country: USA ABV: 8.8% Style: Tripel Other Notes: 30IBU, Specialty Ovila series brewed in collaboration with the monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina, CA.
Brewer Description: (from bottle) Ovila Abbey Tripel’s golden color and brilliant foam hide an incredible depth of flavor. It maintains a perfect balance between slightly sweet and bready malts, floral hop notes, and the fruity aromatics of a traditional Belgian yeast. Tripels were first created by Belgian monks, and this beer is our homage to the original blonde abbey ale.
My rating: 3/5 My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.29 My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2
Intro: A corked and caged 12.7oz (375ml) bottle poured into Westmalle goblet. Packaged and bottled on 13 August 2014. Sierra Nevada suggests 365 days expiry Appearance: Poured a golden orange, mostly clear, small head Aroma: Honey, candied sugar, bananas Taste: Sweet, honey, pineapple (disappears fast though). The alcohol comes out as it gets warmer Mouthfeel: Medium body, light carbonation Overall: I bought it because I was attracted to the nice bottle and labelling. The beer itself was decent and not too sweet but I haven’t decided if I would buy it again yet.
Brewery: Founders Brewing Company Country: USA ABV: 5.4% Style: American Pale Ale (APA) Other Notes: 35IBU, 100% cascade hops, 163 calories (per 355ml)
Brewer Description: (from Founders website) A testament to Cascade hops in a bottle, this medium-bodied pale ale has a refreshing citrus flavor and a distinctive floral hop aroma due to the aggressive addition of hops during fermentation. You’ll notice a slight malty sweetness with a balanced hop finish. Perfect to enjoy anytime, anywhere.
My rating: 3/5 My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.43 My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2
Intro: A 355ml bottle poured into a La Chouffe tulip glass. Bottle says best before 4th March 2015 so not exactly fresh, but tried a few days before best before date Appearance: Poured a cloudy orange/copper with some floating residue, small head with very little retention Aroma: Grassy, pine, mango and citrus Taste: Starts crisp and grassy with very light bitter taste, ends with some caramel and alcohol Mouthfeel: Crisp and dry with nice carbonation Overall: Feels dry but goes down easy. Also disappointed with the alcohol appearing at the end
With the weather getting cooler, its that time again to enjoy eating outdoors. Some of these places include the fresh seafood restaurants of Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, there are three main areas to eat fresh seafood, Lamma Island, Sai Kung and Lei Yue Mun. In the past, I’ve eaten in all three areas a few times, but then after a bad experience in Sai Kung (food had lots of sand and I thought they cheated me with the bill) and a so-so experience in Lei Yue Mun (food was only so-so), the last few times, I have only been to eat at Lamma Island, and it looks to stay this way for a long time.
I have read several times, that people have been cheated etc… but I think if you’re smart about it, you will be fine. I think the main point is to stay away from those foods that are quoted as ‘market price’ since you really have no idea how they calculate this. Usually, this concerns the lobster and fish dishes.
Rainbow Seafood Restaurant
Rainbow Seafood Restaurant actually have their own free ferry service from Central and TST to Lamma Island. You should call ahead and make a booking. The timetable and phone number is on their website here: http://www.rainbowrest.com.hk/eng/timetable.asp. When you arrive at the pier, just find the designated person to note your arrival and they will give you a sticker and let you know when the ferry arrives. The free ferry is only for dinner from Monday to Friday, whereas Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays, there is a free ferry for both lunch and dinner. It takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to arrive.
VIP sticker for boatThe boat arriving for pickupThe boat
You can order your food at the water tanks to see what kind of fresh seafood they have that day. At the same time, they have foods other than seafood on their menus.
Fresh seafood!More seafood!Full restaurant!
Boiled Shrimp (白灼中蝦) – The shrimp were steaming hot when they came out and were very fresh and sweet. Sometimes I like to dip it in a soy sauce and chili mixture, but this was so nice and juicy that it wasn’t necessary. Fried Bamboo Clams with Black Bean Sauce and Chili (豉椒炒蟶子) – Normally I prefer the smaller ones which are about 10cm long. This time they only had the big ones about 20-23cm long. In any case, the clams were fresh with a nice texture and tasted great with the black bean sauce and slight spice (you have to eat the chili to get some spice though). Steamed Scallops with Garlic and Vermicelli (蒜蓉粉絲蒸扇貝) – This is always my favourite dish. The scallops are fresh and the supporting cast of garlic, vermicelli, green onions and a bit of oil mixed together just delivers in taste. Although usually one per person is good, I usually order two for myself!! Steamed Garoupa (清蒸石班) – The fish was fresh, but I thought that it was slightly overcooked. Still the meat at the tail-end (best part of the fish in my opinion) was still very nice and slippery. Baked Lobster in Superior Sauce (上湯焗龍蝦) – Order the lobster off the menu at menu price. There is no need to order the lobster that is stated at ‘market price’. Certainly, those are supposed to be the bigger ones, but I think you will find that your bill will also be significantly more expensive. Just ask for a menu, and order the one off the menu with a stated price. Now back to the food. The lobster was nice and fresh as the meat was very juicy and succulent. Because it was fresh, it really did not need the sauce that it came with (but I’m not saying that the sauce was bad… it just wasn’t necessary). Rainbow Special Fried Rice (天虹炒飯) – The fried rice is a mix of shrimp, BBQ pork, egg and green onions. It really isn’t anything special, but there to fill your stomach if the seafood hasn’t already.
Boiled Shrimp (白灼中蝦)Fried Bamboo Clams with Black Bean Sauce and Chili (豉椒炒蟶子)Steamed Scallops with Garlic and Vermicelli (蒜蓉粉絲蒸扇貝)Steamed Garoupa (清蒸石班)Steamed Garoupa (清蒸石班) opened upBaked Lobster in Superior Sauce (上湯焗龍蝦)Rainbow Special Fried Rice (天虹炒飯)
Just as a point of reference, this meal for 4 (lunch) was about $250 per person and we could not finish the fried rice. They also provide free fruit at the end of the meal.
Recommended:
Boiled Shrimp (白灼中蝦)
Steamed Scallops with Garlic and Vermicelli (蒜蓉粉絲蒸扇貝)
__________ Rainbow Seafood Restaurant G/F, Shops 1A-1B,5,16-20,23-24, First Street, Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island 2982 8100
words of another dreamy traveller 