By the time this post is up, i am no longer wrapped up in my thick and black coat but probably wearing a summer-ish dress and enjoying some awesome ice-cream (haven't had that yet! Just had some Thai food for dinner).
I managed to escape the cold and freezing Canberra for a month or so and i am currently enjoying my time in a place where people commonly call it the Shopping Heaven: HONG KONG! My aim is to do some a lot of shopping (hopefully) and to visit as many places as possible and eat all the goodies that are so unique to Hong Kong...and that will include Yum chas, pineapple buns, egg tarts, milk tea and many more! Can't wait~
Before i start posting about my adventures in Hong Kong (and China), here is how i spent my last day in Canberra. We went to Little Istanbul (shop 9b, Tuggeranong Hyperdome, ACT) for lunch and decided to go for the Sovereign Banquet - as it had a bit of everything.
It was a nice day so we sat outside - great for photos! The staff was polite and the service was good. The banquet started not long after we got our Iced Coffee which by the way, was surprisingly nice. It wasn't too sweet and it wasn't overloaded with some dodgy cream!
The banquet started with a selection of dips by the chef and some warm pide bread. We got the following dips: Pancar (beetroot), Havuc (carrot), Humus (chick peas) and Baba Ghanoush (eggplant). My favorite dip was the Havuc and i have to give credits to the Humus! I am not a big fan of Humus but this particular one did not taste 'commercialised' (like the previous ones that i had) and got me eating more than i normally would. We also got two Kabaks which are grated zucchini mixed with fresh herbs - crispy on the outside and nicely soft inside!
Dips and the Kabaks
Dips and the warm pide
Next up was the Chef's choice of pide plus salad. The pide was hot and nice; the filling was simple but delicious.I think we got the Istanbul Pide as it matched the description of such in the a la carte menu - finely minced meat, onions, parsley, capsicum & cheese.
Look at the cheeese!
Our last dish was the Sis Kebab (lamb pieces marinated, seasoned & grilled on a skewer) and Sis Tavuk (chicken pieces marinated, seasoned & grilled on a skewer) served with Pilav (fluffy white rice with pan-fried risoni). The chicken pieces were tender and juicy and to my surprise, i enjoyed the lamb skewer too! It didn't have a strong 'lamby' taste and the meat was tender and soft.
By the end of the banquet, we were very full but satisfied. Great place, great weather, great food, great service...what more can you ask for?
