At your service

It seems all I write about is food but I'm here for another week so there's lots of time for sightseeing later. Went to Causeway Bay again, this time, to Farm House Restaurant in the AIA Plaza. When I motioned with one finger to the girl at the front desk, she took me over to the elevator, pushed the button for the next floor then walkie-talkied my impending arrival to someone upstairs. Huh.

The doors opened directly into the dining area and a hostess took me to my seat and asked me a question. It took me two tries to realize she was asking for my surname. For the rest of the evening, the staff addressed me as "Mr. Fung"! I explained to the head waiter that I couldn't read the menu but that I had heard of one of their specialties, stuffed chicken wings. We decided on that, as well as a bowl of soup so that I would have room for dessert.

After I placed my order, two dishes of appetizers magically appeared, along with a pot of tea. My cup was refilled the entire night by the super-attentive staff, and I purposely poured my own even when it wasn't empty so that they wouldn't keep coming over. The waiters were really quite good: when I coughed (something I do when I feel self-conscious) into my napkin, a box of Kleenex was quietly brought over. When I asked for more water to dilute the tea, a brand new pot and teacup replaced the ones on the table. This level of service makes me a bit uncomfortable but I'm glad there are places that know how to treat customers well.

The chicken wing was very crispy, with deep mahogany skin, the meat a bit dry and chewy. They served it with two sauces, including an XO sauce made by the chef and sold by the restaurant. As I was eating, someone brought the soup in a lidded ceramic bowl. No sooner had I removed the lid than it was whisked away by a waitress. I could feel them trying to anticipate my every move so it was a bit of a game to keep them waiting, heh.

Before dessert, the head waiter offered me a plate of fruit jellies. I'm pretty sure he said they contained bird's nest but it was hard to tell. I decided on the almond milk in papaya, a delicious infusion made with ground almonds. The papaya wasn't very fragrant nor sweet, but it made a fine container for the milk. An all-round good experience, highly recommended.

I ran back to the Sogo department store (14 floors!) to check out the food hall in the basement before closing. Impressive: three chocolatiers (Leonidas, Godiva, Lucullus), prepared food stalls, fine tea vendors, grocery with many imported items, bakeries, liquor store and more.

If only I had a kitchen.