Visualize an angled crispy noodle nest spilling out with Crispy Beef Tenderloin that’s battered and so tender, you only need to pop it in your mouth without even chewing. This enchanting dish was a crowd pleaser and part of a collection of 8 small bites, main dishes and dessert with cocktail pairings from the Only At Fontainebleau Menu. This Fall Menu was launched to celebrate Hakkasan’s 15th anniversary with sister restaurants simultaneously showcasing their individual local culture and cuisine at 11 locations globally. Each location will use seasonal ingredients and Hakkasan’s signature modern approach to traditional Cantonese cuisine. The Only At Menu will change twice a year and judging from this tasting, I can’t wait to see what they’ll offer for the next one.
Chef de Cuisine Jian Heng Loo put his spin on a traditional Stir Fry French Beans usually made with dried shrimp but he used preserved olives so it’s vegetarian, how thoughtful and still gives that umami flavor. His artistry extends beyond food, his playful use of two noodle nests and lobster shell to present his dishes engage and entice you before you even taste the dish. Seafood was featured in 4 dishes and I’m thrilled because Asians excel in preparing them. To top it all, Hakkasan’s mixologist paired each course with cocktails like Serpent’s Tongue and Old Cuban.
As if 8 dishes weren’t enough, we ended with a very creative dessert which was very light even though there was cream involved! Do not take your eyes off the Chocolate Raspberry Sphere in this video.
My Chinese New Year was hosted by Hakkasan and they put on a scrumptious 13 item Yum Cha (dim sum with tea) that we still talk about a year later. You can read about it here.
Chinese food
Bazi introduces Shanghai Nights
Sunday nights shouldn’t be humdrum, and now you have BAZI’s Shanghai Nights $10 Chinese Classics to look forward to! Have one last fling before you start your work week. 7 Chinese classics are available through the week but discounted only on Sundays. Enjoy these favorite Chinese classics while you can, they can be paired with dishes from their a la carte menu which are all scrumptious or savored as is. Drop by if you’re going to the beach, shopping in South Beach or want a good Chinese without MSG in beautiful surroundings!
Our favorites were spare ribs, they were tender and not slathered with sticky sweet sauce like most Chinese restaurants and Moo Shu Pork.
BAZI’s take on Chinese food is delightful, I’ve had their Thanksgiving dinner with Peking turkey. You can find out why an Italian Chef, Mike Pirolo and Jen Chaefsky decided to open a Chinese restaurant and why I chose BAZI to host my Chinese New Year celebrations here and here.
Wok Town, South Beach
I am not a fan of Chinese food in Miami, it’s full of MSG, way too salty and every dish arrives swimming in brown goopy sauce. And tonight proved to be the same old repertoire at Wok Town in South Beach! Too bad, because they actually do a nice job with their concept which is pick your protein and choose your sauce. I prefer the downtown location with very zen white and orange decor and wonderful large scale photos. The South Beach location has dark wood and black chairs which are not very cheerful and it’s dark in there!
They’ve expanded the menu and added a few more salads. I saw Chicken Satay Appetizer $5.95 with crispy noodles. Sounds good but not sure about the portion or flavor. All the satays I’ve had outside of Asia usually uses chicken breast! It’s dry, rubbery and tasteless because they don’t marinade it properly and leave in one slab stabbed on a skewer.
With the Groupon deal, we had to purchase two entrees, so we opted for Mongolian Pork $10.95 and Bulgogi Steak Salad $12.95. My hubby loves Crispy Brussel Sprouts, so we ordered that as well. Major disappointment, small plate for $5.95 again swimming in way too much sickly sweet sauce. There was nothing Mongolian about the Mongolian Pork, no hint of spiciness or Szechuan flavors, just more brown goopy sauce. I guess it was accentuated because we didn’t have rice to sop it up. The pork tasted like it was Chinese Char Siu (roast/BBQ pork), we just had a nibble because we decided to take this home.
The Bulgogi Steak Salad ended up being the best dish! It was a good portion enough to share. The skirt steak was nicely grilled and very tasty, not chewy. Good presentation in a large orange rectagular bowl, salad was simple field greens with chopped scallion, shredded carrots and sliced cucumbers with side of kimchi and bulgogi dressing. Definitely would recommend this dish.
Other dishes I’ve had downtown was Singapore noodles and pan fried pork Gyozas, both were pleasantly yummy. This was quite a few years’ ago though, so don’t hold your breath. The minute they change chefs, you just never know what to expect. I think the South Beach chefs need to back off on their salt, sauce and sweet, the three ‘s’!
My hubby always says, when you go to a Chinese restaurant, you have to have the Fortune Cookie. I liked that fortune: “You are an exciting and inspiring person”!
Asian Markets in Broward
Asian Markets in Broward
Thanks to many who have contributed with their suggestions of Asian Markets in Broward since I am not familiar with that area. I’ve been to most to check them out though. My favorite is Foodtown Supermarket in Davie, it’s HUGE!
The 3 following markets are in same center as Sliver Pond Chinese Restaurant & Saigon City:
Gou Lou Cheong Chinese BBQ
4139 N. State Road 7, Lauderdale Lakes, FL 33319. 954 739 7377
BBQ meats, home made siu mai, sticky rice in lotus leafs, etc….
Cho A Dong
Oriental Foods Market, 4245 N. State Road 7, Lauderdale Lakes, FL 33319.
Phone: 954-485-9450 / 305-769-1258
between Commercial Blvd. and Oakland Park Blvd. on the West side of the street.
Maxims Bakery
4269 N State Road 7, Lauderdale Lakes, FL 33319. 954-335-1388
Roast pork pastry and other great yummy stuff.
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Chung Hing Oriental Mart
9803 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines, FL 33024. 954-438-1060
P K Oriental Mart
2350 N University Dr, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33322. (954)748-5971
Food Town
6431 Stirling Road, Davie, FL 33314. 954-797-7790
Mon-Sat: 7am-11pm; Sun: 7am-10pm
website
This is my fav market! It’s HUGE, so be prepared to spend some time there to explore all the aisles which includes ALL ETHNICITIES. Lovely fresh veggies section. Below are all shot at Foodtown Supermarket…
New York Mart
10065 Sunset Strip, Sunrise, FL 33322. 954-748-0065
Mon-Sun: 9am-8pm
This Asian supermarket is in the same center as Pine Court Bistro which is a good dim sum restaurant, not sure why the name, very confusing. So, have lunch and shop till you drop. This is adequate but not as huge or have as much selection as Foodtown Supermarket in Davie.
Hong Kong Market Oriental Groceries & Gifts
5371 N. State Rd. 7 (441), Tamarac, FL 33319. 954-485-6688
Fortune Cookie Oriental Supermarket
2700 Forest Hill Blvd., WPB, FL 33406. 561-433-5818
Very comprehensive market.
Asian Markets in Miami
If you’re new in town, here are just a small selection of Asian markets I’ve personally visited over the years. Posting a separate one for Broward, so envious, they have a much bigger selection of Asian markets and restaurants. If you know a really good one, hope you’ll share with us so I can add to this list.
NORTH MIAMI:
Most Asian markets are on 163rd/167th, open 7 days, call for times. You can get cheap gas refills at all the Asian markets for your gas stove, buy more for storm season.
Beijing Mart:
316 NE 167th street, North Miami, FL 33162 305-945-1188
Shiny big store, nice, clean and neatly organized! They have a Chinese cake section. Wide selection of fresh veggies and frozen foods. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese ingredients and seasonings as well as rice cookers, steamers, cookware.
P K Oriental Mart:
255 NE 167th St, Miami, FL 33162. (305) 654-9646
They speak English and run by a husband and wife. Their staff are helpful. They’re organized and have a nice selection! They make the best roast duck, BBQ pork (char sit), crispy pork belly, soy chicken made fresh daily on premise and has a good selection of fresh Chinese veggies.
Chung Hing Oriental Mart:
1855 NE 163rd St, 305-947-6038
Tons of good stuff if you find time to dig around. It’s where I got beautiful bright solid colored ceramic spoons. No roast meats here. It’s my go to cause it’s closest to where I shop for my classes.
Vinh An Oriental Mart:
372 NE 167th st, 305-948-8860
Anything and everything Vietnamese including daily fresh made Vietnamese seasonal snackies. They stock fresh Chinese and Vietnamese veggies and herbs. Good selection of crockery and cookware.
Mary Ann Bakery:
1284 NE 163rd st, 305-945-0333, 9-6pm, closed Tuesdays
As far as I know, this is the only Asian cake shop in Miami! My favs to try are coconut tart, egg tart, melon pastry, curry beef puff, chicken pie, sausage rolls. They also have Char Siu Bao.
Sunshine Indo-Pak Grocery:
1809 NE 164th st, North Miami Beach, FL 33162 305-948-9856
Indian spices, curry powder, cardamom for garlic breath, mango chutney, wholewheat paratha (freezer), Punjabi mix (spicy snack with nuts, yum), loose leaf teas, small selection of fresh veggies incl. fresh herbs and chilies, seasonal fruit like boxes of mangoes, yum.
La Fruteria Hacienda
17052 W. Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach, FL 33160. 786-440-7378
My new fav market to shop for wide selection of veggies, fresh herbs, fruits and obviously a lot of Hispanic and Latino foods as well as Middle Eastern dry goods. They are very reasonable and what I like is that most veggies are not packaged, so you can buy one tomato if you want so your veggies don’t spoil.
Laurenzo’s Market:
16445 West Dixie Hwy, North Miami Beach, 305-944-5052
It’s like a farmer’s market with fresh veggies/fruits. Since reorganizing, it’s become more expensive, oops, sorry.
Laurenzo’s Specialty Food Market:
16385 West Dixie Hwy, North Miami Beach, 305-945-6381
Italian Cafeteria with best Greek Salad, Lasagne, bit dark to eat in there! Ricotta cheese cake is my brother-in-law’s fav, they make fresh pasta and their deli has the best green sweet olives without salt!
Japanese Market: (oh no, it closed!)
1412 79th St. Causeway, N. Bay Village, FL 33141. 305-861-0143
Sushi bar, all things Japanese.
Miami China City:
41 NW 167th st, FL 33169 305-655-9698
Asian accessories, lucky bamboo, Chinese clothing, trinkets, dried goods, some crockery.
SOUTH MIAMI:
These 3 are just a small selection…
P K Oriental Mart:
9501 SW 72nd St, Miami, FL 33173 305-595-9678
Lucky Oriental Mart:
8356 SW 40th Street, D-1, Miami, FL 33155 305-220-2838
Large market with everything, roast meats only available weekends.
Asia Market
9525 SW 160th St, Miami, FL 33157. (305) 232-2728
Yet another store with the usual Asian groceries.
Asian Best Market:
17047 S. Dixie Hwy, South Miami, FL 33157 305-253-1090
Kimchi Oriental Mart:
15355 S. Dixie Hwy, Palmetto Bay, 786-250-3456
Mostly Korean products and I hear fresh housemade kimchi and what a lovely resource on their website. I found the real deal how to make kimchi in 5 easy steps! Thx to Loren Alvarez for this tip! I need to stop by this store when next deep south!