Melinda Joe

I’d wanted to visit @wingrestaurant_hk ever since it opened in 2021. I can still remember the excitement I felt when @chefvickycheng announced that he was applying his prodigious culinary talent to a “borderless Chinese” concept.

The menu is a seamless fusion of influences from all over China, the kind of food that hits all the right notes, cuisine that could only be conceived of by someone with a third-culture background. I loved it.

Here’s what we had:

Geoduck, Japanese oysters and golden crystal eggs (marvelous!) in mala sauce, drunken hairy crab, smoked eggplant braids

Steamed wild Macau sole

Chili Alaskan crab with crispy cheung fun (my favorite!)

Dried sea cucumber sprig rolls (amazing)

Baby pigeon with sugarcane glaze (look at that sheen!)

Fish maw in abalone sauce

Double boiled soup with Alba white truffle

Sneaky fried noodles

Juicy black pepper buns (oh so good)

In excellent company with @mamacattravels @maybnavarra @jordynavarra. Less

I’d wanted to visit @wingrestaurant_hk ever since it opened in 2021. I can still remember the excitement I felt when @chefvickycheng announced that he was applying his prodigious culinary talent to a “borderless Chinese” concept.

The menu is a seamless fusion of influences from all over China, the kind of food that hits all the right notes, cuisine that could only be conceived of by someone with a third-culture background. I loved it.

Here’s what we had:

Geoduck, Japanese oysters and golden crystal eggs (marvelous!) in mala sauce, drunken hairy crab, smoked eggplant braids

Steamed wild Macau sole

Chili Alaskan crab with crispy cheung fun (my favorite!)

Dried sea cucumber sprig rolls (amazing)

Baby pigeon with sugarcane glaze (look at that sheen!)

Fish maw in abalone sauce

Double boiled soup with Alba white truffle

Sneaky fried noodles

Juicy black pepper buns (oh so good)

In excellent company with @mamacattravels @maybnavarra @jordynavarra. Less

🌟 @estro.hk had been on my list for a long time. As a fierce pasta lover, I was enticed by tantalizing images of @antimo_maria_merone’s signature bottoni and lustrous loops of linguine. I knew that they would dazzle the palate as well as the eyes, and they did not disappoint.

The entire meal was a treat - wonderful pastas and perfectly cooked lamb. Combined with Antimo’s affable charm, it’s a winning combination.

Our menu:

Mortadella and robiola toast
Saffron rice waffle
Sesame crisp with eggplant compote
**
Aori-ika| almond, lemon, caviar
**
Linguine | bell pepper, tomato, capers, tuna
**
Bottoni| buffalo robiola, guanciale, aromatic peppercorns
**
Lamb| carrot, rosemary, fennel, pollen jus
*
Pappardelle| onion “Genovese” ragout, wagyu
**
Warm chocolate cake, chocolate cream and crumble, cocoa pulp sorbet
*
Pistachio gelato and fig tart

@jiagroup 🙏
@theforksandspoons852 Less

🌟 @estro.hk had been on my list for a long time. As a fierce pasta lover, I was enticed by tantalizing images of @antimo_maria_merone’s signature bottoni and lustrous loops of linguine. I knew that they would dazzle the palate as well as the eyes, and they did not disappoint.

The entire meal was a treat - wonderful pastas and perfectly cooked lamb. Combined with Antimo’s affable charm, it’s a winning combination.

Our menu:

Mortadella and robiola toast
Saffron rice waffle
Sesame crisp with eggplant compote
**
Aori-ika| almond, lemon, caviar
**
Linguine | bell pepper, tomato, capers, tuna
**
Bottoni| buffalo robiola, guanciale, aromatic peppercorns
**
Lamb| carrot, rosemary, fennel, pollen jus
*
Pappardelle| onion “Genovese” ragout, wagyu
**
Warm chocolate cake, chocolate cream and crumble, cocoa pulp sorbet
*
Pistachio gelato and fig tart

@jiagroup 🙏
@theforksandspoons852 Less

I’d wanted to visit @wingrestaurant_hk ever since it opened in 2021. I can still remember the excitement I felt when @chefvickycheng announced that he was applying his prodigious culinary talent to a “borderless Chinese” concept.

The menu is a seamless fusion of influences from all over China, the kind of food that hits all the right notes, cuisine that could only be conceived of by someone with a third-culture background. I loved it.

Here’s what we had:

Geoduck, Japanese oysters and golden crystal eggs (marvelous!) in mala sauce, drunken hairy crab, smoked eggplant braids

Steamed wild Macau sole

Chili Alaskan crab with crispy cheung fun (my favorite!)

Dried sea cucumber sprig rolls (amazing)

Baby pigeon with sugarcane glaze (look at that sheen!)

Fish maw in abalone sauce

Double boiled soup with Alba white truffle

Sneaky fried noodles

Juicy black pepper buns (oh so good)

In excellent company with @mamacattravels @maybnavarra @jordynavarra. Less

Congratulations to the entire team at @cyclerestaurant by Mauro Colagreco! It’s been a big year for the restaurant: a 🌟 in the 2025 Tokyo @michelinguide, and General Manager Rie Yasui received this year’s Service Award. Well deserved!

We were lucky enough to pay a visit recently, when @maurocolagreco and the @restaurantmirazur family joined @miya176336 in the kitchen last month. This time, I loved the dish of wild mushrooms (香茸), fresh peanuts, and suckling pig, as well as the perfectly succulent megumi duck with fig and wild rice. All served with lovely natural wines - the Lijsternest Magda 2020 was such a delightful surprise.

Once again, in the best company 😊 @santiago.maztokyo @keisui. Less

#tb to a fantastic dinner at @sushi.shunji, where husband-and-wife team Shunji and @ayapan0528 Hashiba create an elegant yet welcoming atmosphere. Highlights included magnificent uni from Ehihime, abalone in a sauce enriched with its liver, sawara nigiri and umami-dense hamaguri clam. Each morsel was enhanced by Ayako-san’s thoughtful wine and sake pairings.

As always, the meal was made all the more memorable by the excellent company. Thanks to my dear friend @keisui! Less

Happy anniversary to the great @luca.fantin and everyone in the Bulgari Il Ristorante Luca Fantin family!

Cheers to 15 wonderful years of marvelous meals at @bvlgarilucafantintokyo, and many more to come. The anniversary menu offered a taste of some of my most favorite dishes, reworked for 2024. Such a special experience 🙏 Big love! Less

“KYOTO – I’m supine on a padded mat as waves of sound wash over me. The vibrations of a gong reverberate through my chest, intertwining with the ethereal melodies of singing bowls, chimes and the gentle flutter of a rainstick. As the symphony of tones ebbs and flows, I feel the stress of a grueling week of work melting away.

It’s my first sound healing experience, one of the treatments available at the recently opened Six Senses hotel.”

@sixsenseskyoto is at the forefront of the wellness travel trend sweeping Japan. I wrote about my experience there for @thejapantimes.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2024/10/12/travel/six-senses-kyoto-four-seasons-osaka-wellness-spa-health/ Less