The essence of Hong Kong is subtly but surely incorporated into most of our daily lives –for instance, our obsession with dim sum and our addiction to Hong Kong TVB series is of widespread unanimity.

Being a 4-hour flight away from Singapore, many Singaporeans visit Hong Kong on a yearly basis, mostly for the love of food and shopping. Come November, the Wine and Dine Month gives you all the more reason to visit this vibrant city; the month-long festival will showcase a series of events ranging from food, drama, music, business forum and festival sports.

I attended the Hong Kong Festival 2012’s launch event at Wild Rocket, where we sampled a Hong Kong-inspired 7-course meal created by Singapore celebrity chef Willin Low. Galvanised by his trip in September, the menu features an interesting blend of Hong Kong signatures with innovative touches.


Chinese foie gras sausage and iced kale

To get things started, we were served an amuse bouche of Chinese foie gras sausage and iced kale. It offers a glimpse to chef Willin’s cooking approach and portrays his adherence to the theme. The Chinese foie gras sausage, wrapped in kale leaves, finely exhibits East-meets-West. The addition of crushed ice helps to retain the freshness of the greens –what a simple but brilliant touch.

Homemade egg tofu with century egg sauce

This dish just escalated my love for tofu and century egg. The delicate homemade egg tofu encased in a golden crisp batter, flawless; the creamy and luscious century egg sauce, out-of-this-world. Put the two together, you get a taste of heaven in every bite.

Harji roasted shrimp roe spaghettini with udang geragau

Here, the Hong Kong’s local favourite “harji meen (noodles)” is westernised through the replacement of egg noodles with pasta. The addition of shrimp roe elevates the dish up a notch, and not forgetting the fresh succulent prawns that complement this dish.

Roast Chilean seabass with ginger soy sauce

Iberico char siew with shanghai kao cai & quinoa

Hidden underneath a translucent sheet of rice paper is Iberico char siew, shanghai kao cai and quinoa.

The pork is tender perfection with a nice caramelised glaze; it totally stole the limelight from its other components.

Homemade egg tart & salted egg ice cream

Dessert was the most highly anticipated part of the meal; we were all looking forward to the salted egg ice cream. The deconstructed egg tart gives you flavours of Hong Kong without the faintest semblance. Nicely done.

Puree of roasted black sesame with milk ice cream

Don’t miss this Hong Kong-inspired menu at Wild Rocket, available for a limited time only from 12 to 31 October 2012.

Wild Rocket is located at 10A Upper Wilkie Road. For reservations, please call .

Food and wine enthusiasts who visit Hong Kong in November can satiate their taste buds and take their culinary skills to higher levels through Dim Sum Making Classes; Hong Kong Foodie Tours (tasting their way through the old neighbourhoods of Central and Sheung Wan districts); and the Wine & Dine Tours, with a variety of themed tours such as wine appreciation classes, wine-themed cooking classes and exclusive visits to a private wine cellar.

For more information about Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival 2012, visit: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/wineanddine-month/festival/eng/html/exhibitor/2012_details.html