Crystal Jade, HK

I'm almost FREE. The freedom is SO CLOSE I can practically taste it. :D I'm so LOOKING FORWARD to days of sleeping in, lazy swimming, rearranging my closet, watching movie marathons... Bliss!

So anyway (with no carefully crafted, intelligent-sounding, proper transitional thoughts/sentences, because my brain is slightly fried from all the studying I've been doing + the psychotic, blinding, irrepressible Manila heat) I will now talk about what I'm supposed to. Crystal Jade in Hong Kong! If you haven't gone to Crystal Jade here (in Manila, I mean), you better go! It's an experience like no other. And I'm quite happy to say that the xiao long pao here is as good as the ones in HK! :D But there are quite a few entrees that are available in HK but aren't available in Manila..

Here we go!

I can attest to the validity of this "award."

The interiors in HK are far better than what they've got here.

1st order: spicy dumplings! DIVINE! Clean tasting, spicy, juicy, tasty... Typing this makes me miss it :(

Order # 2: Bean curd skin (sliced like noodles) served with preserved vegetables and soybeans. YUM! Seriously. I know it sounds sad, but really, look at that photo. Is that what something sad-tasting would look like? No. I think that if there was a really good vegetarian dish, this would probably be it.

Order #3, the one I absolutely fell in love with. Sweet and sour fish fillet. I swear. This. Is. The. Best. SWEETANDSOURFISHFILLETYOUWILLEVEREVEREVEREAT. If the dish died and went to heaven, this would be it's heavenly incarnation. It's really good. REALLY GOOD. The fish is so crisp, so amazingly, otherworldly crisp! And the sauce is just tangy and perfect and the pineapples just start frolicking in your mouth (and, consequently, your brain) with the fish, and Canon in D starts playing in your head.... Ta-dah, welcome to heaven, baby!

Dish #4! Xiao Long Pao. As good as it ever, ever, ever gets. Try Crystal Jade in Manila (or anywhere else, for that matter) and you will fall in love with their xiao long pao. I think it's the delicate skin that makes all the difference. And the soup. And the meat! HAHA. Okay, that didn't make a lot of sense...

Dish #5. I also mega ultra LOVED this. Perfect, tender, tender, TENDER beef with delicious peanut sauce served with beautiful white buns... So. Good. I am not exaggerating.

Dish #6, fried onion cake. It is of great importance that I inform you all that I am not a fan of onion cake. But I am certainly a fan of THIS one! It was oily, delicious, juicy, tasty, crunchy, rich. I couldn't resist it and kept eating and eating!

A million thumbs up for Crystal Jade in HK (and beyond!)

I would like to end (here I go again, digressing violently from the topic) with this list.*

Things I am currently obsessed with:
1. Shoes. I'm sorry, but yesterday was one of the most physically painful days in the history of my life. I wore new penny loafers that I (silly me) had bought online and thought would be comfortable as they were of real leather. HOW WRONG I WAS. My feet died. I am not lying. I have the most sensitive feet on the planet (even Crocs hurt!) and I have really, really, really thin skin. So my feet really died. And my spirit (temporarily) died with it. Therefore, when I got home last night, I went absolutely crazy online, shopping for really comfortable shoes. And I've kept at it since this afternoon. So I now have orders for enough shoes to last me a long, long, long, loooooong time.


Okay, I am done with my one-item list**. :)

Cheers,
D

*If Chloe loves lists, I SUPERMEGAKADUPER love them more. And I'm not even OC like she is (you should see my room). I just really love lists.
**I'm sorry, I'm really brain-dead today. Mr Brain decided to shut down after item # 1.