This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been...

Oh Hello Friday! We're so very pleased to see you!

Well, particularly two thirds of us, namely those cramming the last couple of bikinis in an already overstuffed case, zipping to Heathrow, hopping on a plane and shouting... 

Unfortunately, the other third is forlornly sitting in Hong Kong screwing up her eyes, clicking her heels together three times and muttering "there's no place like Barbados" only to open her eyes and realise that there are no dazzling white beaches and crashing turquoise seas in front of her, only...

Sigh!

But, when all's said and done, it's still Friday which is basically the start of a miniature holiday and a Pina Colada is still a Pina Colada even if you are drinking it on your sofa in a onesie... (in case you're after a recipe here's our very fav almost guilt-free version - the chia seeds have to cancel the rum out right?!)

When we haven't been tropical holiday dreaming, this week the Mice have mostly been...

Placing our bets on who'll wear what at this year's Oscars. I don't think it's any secret that we get a little giddy over a good gown, so Awards Season is basically our idea of heaven on a red carpet... And the Oscars is the pinnacle. 

So far this year, we've swooned over the SAGs, gone gaga over the Globes and now we're just too, too excited to see what the A-list will be cruising the carpet in on Sunday. We'll be up bright and early on Monday morning to pore over each and every diamond and bead adorning Hollywood's leading ladies, but in the meantime, we've been wagering on who we think our favourite gals of the season will be donning for the big night. So far we're thinking...

J-Law will obviously be Christian Dior-ed as always. But with a distinct lack of floor sweepers in the Spring '14 Couture collection, we're wondering whether Jen will be wearing a hot off the catwalk AW '14 RTW creation (we'll be keeping a beady eye on the gowns shown this afternoon) or a modified version of one of the shorter Couture numbers. We'd love to see her in a full length version of this frothy beauty...

Alternatively, this red and white column dress has Lawrence written all over it...

Was Zac Posen subliminally shouting "Pick me, pick me!" in New York when he sent a Lupita-alike down the runway in this burnt amber ballgown? This season has shown that fashion and film's newest darling, Lupita N'yongo, loves a bit of colour blocked simplicity and this dress with the right accessories could be the perfect backdrop to a golden statuette...   

We've never had Amy Adams down as a best-dressed list topper before, but so far this year she's wowed time and time again. From that Valentino navel grazer (complete with matching cape) to her Bafta's Victoria Beckham Gothic glam, Amy's been consistently dazzling. For her Awards Season crescendo? Well, his violet Elie Saab gown would have us weak at the knees. With her auburn hair, this colour would be delicious and we adore the Grecian side cape detail...

Images via: style.com

Sampling scrumptious sips and suppers at a myriad of hot-off-the-press Hong Kong openings. It's been a pretty jam-packed week as far as trying out new restaurants and bars has gone. From haute-tapas to French dim sum with more than a few cocktails in between, we've basically been on a mission to eat and drink as much deliciousness as humanly possible. We'll be penning full reviews of French fancy, La Grande Bouffe, and Latin lovely, Zafran  super soon - so keep those peepers peeled! 

In the meantime, for Friday night tipples we'd highly recommend a dangerously stiff cocktail or six at secret speakeasy, Stockton. 

Image via: www.facebook.com/StocktonHK

Maximal Concepts' latest opening would be impossible to find unless you knew whee you were going, and after a couple of knock-you-sideways concoctions you may well need help finding your way back out onto Wyndham Street... With a low lit loungy feel, we genuinely can't think of a better place in Hong Kong to settle into a leather arm chair and sip away the week's worries. We love the Bitter Bitch - a gin-based slap around the face in a martini glass.

Stockton

1/F, 32 Wyndham Street, 

Central, 

Hong Kong

Be sure to book ahead: +852 2565 5268 

And if you'e looking for a little weekend yumspiration, grab your chopsticks and head for dim sum with a dash of ooh la la at Man Mo Cafe.

Image via: www.facebook.com/manmocafe

East meets West, fusion cuisine, blah, blah, blah... So often "innovative" new twists on classics aren't nearly as clever as they think they are. Man Mo Cafe however, is genuinely brilliant. 

Bringing together chefs of Robuchon and Din Tai Fung alumni; taking the traditional dim sum favourites and pimping them up with a bit of foie gras here and a little fast food there, results in some seriously mouthwatering bites of amazingness. Be sure to order in the Burgerbun - a beefy version of the BBQ Pork Bun which comes with its very own mini, squeeze bottle of burger sauce - and the foie gras xiaolongbao - quite frankly the best thing we've eaten for a very long while! The cocktails aren't half bad either...

Man Mo Cafe

40 Upper Lascar Row (Cat St), 

Sheung Wan,

Hong Kong

+852 2644 5644

And on that note, those of us not on a long haul flight are off to oggle at all the pretty things being sent down the runways in Paris and then consume our own bodyweight in gin & tonics!

Until next week...

x 

The Mice

3BM Eats : NYC Best Brunch Bites

So last week we bought you our pick of the top dinner delights in NYC and this week we’re reporting back on the best-of-the-best bunch spots...

According to many, Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Sorry Breakfast, I don’t mean to dis you but Brunch is the new you! I must admit me and mornings have never really got on – the biggest reason being that they're solely responsible for hoicking me out of my number one happy place… bed! You’ll all be aware of my get affection for food by now but the mornings have the ability to well and truly kill that great love. I can just about manage a skinny cappuccino but the thought of anything more than that makes me feel rather queasy… until 12 o’clock strikes that is and then I’m all about wolfing down whatever I can get my hands on. So that brings me back round again to the main theme of this post – brunch! It’s the perfect middle man - you can really go to town and load up on naughty nosh because you skipped brekkie PLUS it’s not too early for a cheeky Mimosa or six!

Having set the scene I’m hoping you’ll all suitable pumped for brunch and ready to salivate over the NYC beauts we munch-tested for you…

First on the hit list was The Breslin within The Ace Hotel. A firm favourite from my last trip to NYC when I stayed at The Ace - Michelin-starred and from the dream team duo April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman of The Spotted Pig. Ticks all round! 

So what did we devour? Well… HK mouse and mini opted for the poached eggs with curried lentils, yogurt and cilantro. Sounds like an interesting if not slightly strange combo but we can report that the flavours totally complimented each other. The lentils added a spicy bite whilst the yogurt worked its cooling magic and then who can resist a perfectly poached egg sprinkled with a touch of coriander for extra pizazz…

I opted for the whole wheat pancakes with apple butter, candied walnuts and maple syrup – need I go on?! Yes this dish was a delicious as it sounds! Rich, sweet and gorgeously indulgent… 

I do have one major regret to share in relation to this brunch session however and that’s not trialling the daddy of dishes. It just sounded too naughty to even contemplate… brace yourself… fried peanut butter and banana sandwich with bourbon and vanilla! Wowser! This will continue to play on my mind and be the biggest regret of my life FYI…

The Breslin 

16 W 29th St 

NY 10001

+1 212 679 1939

Day three called for a visit to the notorious Norma's, based within the Le Parker Meridien Hotel. We filled our brunch boots here in a way that can only be described as gluttony gone wrong! We’re talking seriously overloaded USA mammoth portions – enough to put you into a sugar-induced coma or an early grave! To put this into perspective, all three of us could have shared one mere brunch dish and still had leftovers to last the rest of the week… 

I ordered up the very berry brioche French toast which consisted of four beasting great slices of toast concealing the very berry secret ingredient filling all topped off with a punnet each of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries AND dowsed in about a litre of maple syrup! Devine but devilishly disobedient when it comes to my pre-holiday bikini bod prep...

…and HK mouse the BBQ pulled pork hash topped with poached eggs. This was more of a main that a breakfast mind with the pork piled to high heaven. No comparison to Middle Mouse's sugar rush mountain however...!

Mini mouse ordered up Colombian corn cake, eggs sunny side up and chorizo, a portion size which was marginally more manageable… 

We have a foodie regret when it comes to this brunch stop off too. This one comes in the form of not ordering the Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata which comes with a heavy helping of Sevruga Caviar and a hefty price tag of $1,000!!! I think this regret is understandable and had we of indulged we would have been left feeling a whole lot more regretful of being a $1,000 poorer! Over it alreads!

Norma’s 

119 W 56th St 

NY 10019

+1 212 708 7460

Saving the best until last we have The NoMad's Atrium restaurant. Slightly biased as this was our home away from home whilst we were staying in NYC but setting those feelings aside I would highly recommend for its brunch alone.    

The setting is just gorgeous, made exceptional with a vast pyramid glass skylight overhead allowing sun to stream through and slowly wake you up. A round of super strong coffees lent a helping hand too...

Who's partial to a naughty McDonalds egg McMuffin from time to time? The answer is me but that dirty indulgence stops here now that i've trialled the fine-dining equivalent at the NoMad... English muffin with duck sausage, egg and cheese. Nom nom nom...

Mini made her pick within seconds of snatching up the menu opting for eggs benedict with a difference. The traditional ham swapped out for succulent crab and topped off with a handful of tarragon and then of course a big helping of hollandaise... 

HK mouse licked her lips and ordered the blintzes (thin pancakes) with farmer's cheese, cherries and brown butter. They really were nothing short of mind blowing - both myself and mini had major food envy...

The NoMad Hotel 

1170 Broadway & 28th Street 

NY 10001 

+212 796 1500

3BM Wanders: A Weekend in Bangkok

One of the really, really great things about living in Hong Kong is how easy it is to hop off for a weekend of sun and exploring. While I miss zipping under the Channel on the Eurostar to Paris for a couple of days of Macarons and browsing boutiques in the Marais or Easyjetting it down to Barcelona for Gaudi gazing and Churros and chocolate, there's something pretty great about having Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodia and China, and the Philippines and Borneo right on your doorstep...   

So a couple of weeks ago I decided it was time to kick off this year's adventuring with a last minute weekend in Bangkok. 

Given that it's just a short two hour flight from Hong Kong, I've spent quite a lot of time in Bangkok but it's without a doubt one of my favourite cities in Asia. I've blogged before about my favourite places to stay in the Thai capital, and this time I decided to head back to the Metropolitan not least because we got a room rate that came in at under HK$1,000 a night (and we got an upgrade when we checked-in - win, win).

After touching down in Bangkok at midnight on Friday evening and the best night's sleep ever in the biggest, comfiest bed, we got up bright and early, gobbled down a big breakfast and headed out for a day of wandering.

First up, Chatuchak Weekend Market where they sell everything and anything you could ever imagine...

All that bartering over bargains is thirsty work so we stopped for a couple of Singhas at an awesome little bar in section 8 of the market, Viva 8. It may not be the most authentically Thai place in the market, but with great music and Chef Fernando cooking up huge vats of Paella it's the perfect pit stop and the ideal perch for a bit of people watching.

Suitably refuelled, it was back to shopping up a storm...

An hour or two later, we decided it was time for a couple of cocktails in the sun so we grabbed a cab and moseyed across town to Soi 11 where there are windy streets to wend down and a whole host of fun bars and restaurants to hit up. 

A passionfruit margarita or two later, we thought we'd go and check out the pool at the newish W Bangkok and it was only fair to see if the cocktails were any good while we were there...

As the sun slunk towards the horizon, we dashed home for a quick change before heading out for an evening of bar hopping. First up The Iron Fairies - push back the heavy velvet curtains at the door and you'll find yourself in a very cool cocktail bar come blacksmith's workshop. Jazz burbles away in the background and steel spiral staircases wind up to a mezzanine leather strewn with leather armchairs to sink into which you order up delicious liquor-laden cocncoctions.

Feeling pretty famished, our next stop was Soul Food for some of the best Thai food I've had in a very long time. Despite being an expat favourite this cosy spot is renowned for dishing up authentic, lipspackingly good Thai fare. Each and every dish that we ordered was a delight from the spicy Southern Thai samosas to the Yam Makrua Yao - the most delicious salad ever invented - a medley of charred smoky eggplant, bacon, mint, coriander and soft-boiled duck eggs. Be sure to wash down your feast with a few too many cocktails, we particularly loved the Mojito-esque Bangkok Bastard.

Stuffed to bursting, we headed for post-dinner tipples at rooftop bar Above Eleven where we sipped a couple of cocktails while looking out across the twinkling city.

And last but not least, we headed for nightcaps at sister bar to the Iron Fairies, Maggie Choo's. Don't be fooled by this night spot's rather strange location at the base of the Novotel Hotel. Slink past the neon sign at the entrance, down the wooden staircase where you'll find yourself in a little noodle bar where the overalled waitresses dish up steaming bowls of noodles beneath a paper parasol festooned ceiling. Pull back the heavy velvet curtains (spotting a theme here?) and find yourself transported back to the forties and apparently in a bank vault slash speakeasy... 

Girls in cheongsams sip martinis on swings, others peek out behind fringed curtains atop the bar - a clerk counter where the barmen shake up cocktails behind brass bars. Entertainment comes courtesy of live jazz played by a band gathered around the grand piano in front of which a band of uniformed midgets dances. The most coveted tables sit in shadowy alcoves behind heavy doors hung from exposed brick archways crowned by glaring busts of Queen Victoria. As it was a packed to the rafters Saturday night we had to resign ourselves to sipping our Champagne cocktails while propping up the bar and left a couple of hours later more than a little tipsy.

The morning after the night before, there was nothing for it but to snooze off the evening's excesses beside the pool while catching up on some very important reading...

...interspersed between leisurely laps of the pool...

...and a spot of Satay nibbling.

All in all, the perfect weekend break. I landed back in Hong Kong that evening happy, rested and staving off the host-holiday blues by plotting my next adventure...

The 3BM Bangkok Little Black Book

Stay

The Metropolitan Hotel

Shop

Chatuchak Weekend Market

Eat

Soul Food

Drink

Viva 8

The W Hotel Bangkok

The Iron Fairies

Above Eleven

Maggie Choo's