Food, glorious food...

Hi folks,

An entourage of Michelin inspectors (mostly French, plus two Asian counterparts) spent the whole of this year in Hong Kong visiting and evaluating several restaurants, eventually releasing the Michelin Guide to Hong Kong and Macau last week. I had the opportunity of checking out a restaurant that was awarded two stars, Bo Innovation, last night.

During dinner, I noticed a couple of things during the meal that seem to be becoming popular.

1. Small plates, no more big portions
In this health conscious society today, people are looking for balanced diets. It's all about offering a variety of different foods, kicking with flavor, and screaming "This is good for you!" Creative appetizers are coming to the forefront, offering each diner a taste of everything. Say goodbye to those 32 oz steaks, and your arteries will say thanks.

2. Willingness to try new things
It's fine to go with comfort foods, like a dish of mashed potatoes or a plate of fish and chips, but chefs are beginning to experiment with different foods and ingredients to create intense flavors that are pleasing to the palate. You can probably say, chefs are becoming artists in their own right. How about a xiaolong bao (a Shanghainese soup dumpling) that actually looks like an egg yolk, a souffle that is stuffed full of delicious crab meat, or laap-cheung (Chinese sausage) flavored ice cream?

Xiaolong bao + laap-cheung ice cream

Crab souffle

As you indulge in the holiday festivities, look out for these trends in the world of gastronomy.

Wishing all of you happy holidays! Thanks for checking in, and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

The Devil's In the Details

Hi folks,

I apologize for being MIA for the past few days. Yours truly has been having final exams and has been diligently preparing for them. As I was preparing for my economics and geography finals, I was annotating my maps and graphs to the very last detail, making sure that I didn't miss anything.

We're talking about being detailed today.

I did a short summer internship with the Four Seasons a couple of years ago. Ever since then, I've realized how important the little things are. Learning to inspect rooms before the guest arrived was actually a pretty difficult job, perhaps because I was only there for such a short period of time. The list of requirements for a perfect room were endless: making sure that the towel labels were perfectly aligned, that the glassware had no fingerprints, that there were exactly six pieces of writing paper in the drawer, that the pen was angled at exactly 45 degrees. I was really intrigued with the level of detail that was necessary for hotel housekeeping.

There are actually a significant number of things that the hotel can do to create a delightful experience for the guest. Believe it or not, guests often send out little signals as they go about their life in the hotel. Notice that the guest is only drinking the Ginger Ale in the minibar? Let housekeeping know and have them stock more of the same drink in the bar. If the guest is a frequent patron at the hotel, be sure to note this in the guest profile. In the event that he or she dines at a hotel outlet, the maître d' can immediately ask if the guest would like a Ginger Ale to start with. It's not a huge task to take on, but it is a nice touch.

Another example of paying attention to detail is knowing the guests' names. I've found that there are a good number of housekeeping staff who fail to address the guest by name. Sir or Madam is fine, but it's taking the experience to another level when you say, "Good morning, Mr. Jones. Is it convenient for me to clean your room now?" Again, perhaps it's not a huge deal to some people, but it sure is nice to hear your name sometimes, so you're not just Guest Number 234. I've realized that airline staff, especially those catering to business class and first class passengers, are extremely adept at passenger recognition. Creating an experience for the guest lies solely in the details.

Thanks for checking in, and I hope to see you again soon.