Oman on a platter!

A delicious confluence of cuisines—thanks to its British, Portuguese, African and yes, Indian influences—the food of Oman is one that is richly layered and nuanced with flavours and textures that are both exotic and comfortingly similar at the same time.

 

By Raul Dias

If the legendary Arab hospitality is at the very heart of Omani life, then the cuisine of this most eastern of all middle eastern countries is undoubtedly its soul. Richly nourished by multifarious influences, its food is flavoured with a pinch of culture and a dash of history. This ranges from the colonial grip exerted by Portugal and Britain in the 15th and the late 18th century respectively, to its very own colonisation of the East African island of Zanzibar (which was regarded as the second capital of Oman after Muscat!) in 1698 and finally to its centuries of trade and commerce with India.
The sultanate’s 2,000-mile-long coastline, that stretches from the Musandam Peninsula up north in the Strait of Hormuz, right down to the tropical city of Salalah along the Arabian Sea coast, has bestowed upon its cuisine a bounty of seafood that takes prime position at most meals. Thus, all this, setting the stage for a table that runneth over with an edible pastiche of dishes and delicacies that are as much exotically Omani as they are comfortingly similar.

Exotic Flavours Aplenty
There’s no denying the fact that bread is the most important part of any middle eastern table. And Oman is no exception. Chief among these is the crepe-like, paper-thin flatbread called khubz rakhal that is the de facto anytime snack when loaded up with everything from a thick layer of salty feta cheese to honey and beaten eggs.
Other popular breads like the khubz al simsim and the khubz al takhien are used to scoop up lightly spiced gravies like the prawn and tomato marak shibass or to enrobe morsels of roasted lamb leg and Oman’s rather tangy and spicy version of kebabs called mishkak inspired by the Portuguese roast dish of asado.
Interestingly, two very popular vegetarian Omani dishes owe their genesis to Zanzibar. The first being the triangular spiced mashed potato-stuffed, deep-fried pastry called sambusac and the other being the decidedly East African coconut-creamed spinach that’s eaten with rice and fried fish.
If there is one local dish that should put Oman firmly on the world’s culinary map, then that would have to be its national dish of shuwa. An elaborate preparation that sees chunks of meat marinated in a spicy date paste and spit-roasted in a pit dug in the ground, shuwa is a communal activity undertaken by the entire village. The meat is marinated with a variety of spice rubs and then wrapped in banana leaves, which are in turn placed into the subterranean oven and left to slow cook for 24 hours.

The Indian Connection
Centuries of trade between India and Oman and the huge Indian diaspora—that is found in great numbers till today in Oman—has resulted in an interesting and unique blend of the two cuisines. Though much milder than a robust Indian-style biryani and more on the lines of a Kashmiri yakhni pulao, the local Omani iteration of machboos is a yummy one.  Basically, a rice dish, machboos is flavoured with saffron and cooked in the same stock that the chicken or meat was cooked in. For the vegetarian, the kabuli pulao steps in and tastes almost like its desi counterpart back home in India.
A doppelganger of the pounded wheat and meat Hyderabadi dish of haleem, Omanis call their version harees. Here too, wheat is mixed with meat or chicken and cooked until it forms a thick paste that’s served with ghee. Only the unexpected drizzle of date molasses sets the harees a wee bit apart and makes it a rather acquired taste.
Coated in a luscious, silken coconut milk sauce and simply called white tuna curry, this one is a dead ringer for the meen moilee of Kerala. It was introduced to the Omani palate by migrant workers from the southern state of India that has an equally impressive, long coastline.

Sea and Tell!
Speaking of seafood, one of the greatest places to acquaint oneself with this Omani staple is at the Muttrah Fish Market in the old quarter of Muscat. A stone’s throw away from the stunning corniche waterfront, tucked away at its end, this is the place to get a sense and feel of the hustle and bustle of an Arabic market. From 6.30 in the morning, fishermen drag their dhows up to the beach next to the market to unload everything from king fish to the typically Arab hammour fish and Sultan Ibrahim (threadfin bream) to octopus that are sold off within minutes.
If there is one fish dish that you must try when in Oman then that would have to me mashuai. Consisting of a whole spit-roasted kingfish, served with a side of lemon rice and garnished with half cut lemons, this preparation truly lets the fish’s sweet flavour come though, sans any spicy overkill. Another dish not to be missed is the tangy, citrusy seafood paplou soup. This soup that is made by the Lawati Omanis, whose ancestors trace their roots to traders from the Old Muttrah neighbourhood and South Asia is a delicious blend of tuna and tuna roe, all jazzed up with a dried lime and a spritz of fresh lime juice. 

Sweeter Side of Things
No visit to a local Omani home or business place is ever complete without a cup or two of kahwa. Not to be confused with the spiced kehwa Kashmiri tea, the Omani kahwa is a shot of strong, black coffee mixed with cardamom powder, poured into tiny porcelain cups out of a traditional brass coffee pot called a dallah. Its accompaniments are always the same: dates and Omani halwa (see box). The former is particularly important, as Oman has over 250 indigenous varieties, with the reddish-brown khalas dates kind being the most preferred.
Thanks to the British, tea is also a very popular beverage in Oman. Similar to masala chai, chai karak in Oman is made with condensed milk, cardamom, saffron and dried thyme leaves called za’atar. One of the best ways to enjoy tea time in Oman is by munching on a plate of the deep fired doughnut-like balls called luqaimat—very similar to the East Indian community’s sweet-savoury foogias. Only here, the luqaimat are doused in the local Omani honey from Sohar, that has a distinct flavour thanks to the samr, sidr and ghaaf trees that bees pollinate.
   

The Omani Halwa Influence
In a very interesting twist of circumstances, there is empirical evidence that shows Omani halwa as the progenitor of the very popular Bombay halwa. All this, thanks to the centuries of trade between the two coastal cities of Muscat and Mumbai, each on either side of the Arabian Sea.
Here are a few similarities:
• Both are sticky, gelatinous sweets with a translucency about them.
• Both are made with a tapioca starch-wheat flour mixture, sugar, ghee and rose water to which cardamom powder, nutmeg and saffron are added and then the mixture stirred manually for hours.
• While Omani halwa is naturally brownish-reddish in colour, Bombay halwa is artificially coloured green, perhaps to mimic the oodles of chopped pistachios that go into garnishing the former.

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the June 2018 issue of Jetwings Domestic in-flight magazine of Jet Airways http://www.jetairways.com/EN/IN/jetexperience/magazines.aspx)

Coastal Cravings

By Raul Dias

Try It Here!
Soon becoming one of India’s most popular cuisines, the food of the Konkan and all its sub groups are being celebrated and savoured across the country. Here’s a list of some of the best places to get in on the Konkan belt food action… 

Delhi NCR

·         Swagath at Malviya Nagar for Mangalorean (Rs. Rs.)

·         Bernardo’s at Gurugram for Gomantak (Rs. Rs.)

·         Incrivel Goa at Dilli Haat for Gomantak (Rs. Rs.)

·         Maharashtra Sadan at India Gate for Malvani (Rs.)

Mumbai

·         The Konkan Café at Vivanta By Taj President, Cuffe Parade for Mangalorean, Malvani and Gomantak (Rs. Rs. Rs.)

·         Mahesh Lunch Home at Fort, Juhu, Andheri East, Vashi and Thane for Mangalorean, Malvani and Gomantak (Rs. Rs.)

·         Trishna at Fort for Mangalorean (Rs. Rs.)

·         Hotel Malvan Kinara at Dadar West for Malvani (Rs.)

Bengaluru

·         Kanua at Sarjapur Road for Mangalorean (Rs. Rs.)

·         Carnival de Goa at Ulsoor for Gomantak (Rs. Rs.)

·         Mangalore Pearl at Frazer Town for Mangalorean (Rs. Rs.)

·         Kamat Lokaruchi at Mysore Road for Mangalorean (Rs.)

-----------------------

Price Guide

Rs.= Inexpensive

Rs. Rs.= Moderate

Rs. Rs. Rs.= Expensive

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the February 2018 issue of Jetwings International in-flight magazine of Jet Airways http://www.jetairways.com/EN/IN/jetexperience/magazines.aspx) 

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Surströmming

By Raul Dias

The much-bandied around phrase “appearances can be deceptive” was probably coined for and by the Swedes. For one, the restrained, almost icy veneer that they are infamous for is demolished within minutes, when a group of Swedes come together for a traditional summer feast like a surströmming party, for instance. Hesitant smiles morph into full-throated laughs as toasts are raised and a can of surströmming cracked opened.
Now, this seemingly innocuous-looking, slightly puffed up can of fish holds within it a rather curious little secret that’s not for the faint-hearted! A super stinky preparation, surströmming or fermented Baltic herring has been a staple in traditional northern Swedish cuisine since at least the 16th century, originating in the Höga Kusten region of Sweden. There’s even a museum called the Fiskevistet Surströmmingsmuseet located in the small fishing village of Skeppsmaln along Sweden’s High Coast, that’s dedicated to this delicacy.
Just enough salt is used to prevent the raw herring from rotting and a fermentation process of at least six months gives the lightly-salted fish its characteristic strong smell and somewhat acidic taste. A challenge for the olfactory senses if there ever was one, when opened, the contents of a can of surströmming release a strong, overwhelming odour. In fact, according to a Japanese study, a newly opened can of surströmming has one of the most putrid food smells in the world, rivalling even that of other notorious fermented fish dishes such as the Korean hongeohoe and the Japanese kusaya.
Always eaten outdoors for obvious reasons, the ceremony behind opening and serving a can of surströmming has its own set of protocol. Understandably, the direction of the wind is most important, as no one wants a blast of the pungent fish odour fogging them up. It is also never served up on its own, as the taste—however milder than its smell—still needs a few ‘back-up acts’. These take the form of the typically Swedish circular hard bread called tunnbröd, atop which a little bit of the herring and the sour cream-like gräddfil spread is placed, along with a garnish of dill, Spanish red onion rings and slices of boiled potato. And as a chaser, a shot of aquavit an alcohol made from potatoes takes the edge off things!

(This column first appeared in the 26th November 2017 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/surstrmming/article20942770.ece)

India’s Sweet Somethings!

With a range of delicacies that are as diverse as the nation itself, the Indian sweets’ platter truly runneth over with myriad varieties and regional interpretations ready to be savoured. And all this means one thing—it’s always celebration time, no matter what time of the year it is...

By Raul Dias

Cutting a swathe across India’s vast geographical, cultural, and most importantly, culinary landscape, it is the country’s mind-boggling cornucopia of sweets—some well-documented, while others delicious little edible secrets—that references this rich diversity in myriad ways and forms. From the unexpected lusciousness of a creamy palkova from Srivilliputhur in Tamil Nadu and the hitherto unsung wonders of a cloud-like nimish from Varanasi and from the coconut-y brilliance of Goa’s pinag to the sonorous crunch of an Arunachali khapse, we celebrate India’s hidden heroes of the world of sweets.
By no means is this an exhaustive list. Not even close. But what we’ve attempted, is to chronicle the most fascinating of them all. A few with neat little back stories to add to their appeal. And there truly is no better time than the onslaught of the festive season to bring these ‘barometers of celebration’ to the fore. While no wedding, birth announcement or festival is ever complete without a ‘sweet something’, we Indians don’t really need any excuse to partake in a sweet-fueled feast. So, go on. Indulge!

Northern Delights
“Aaj meethe mein kya hai?” or “what’s for afters, today?” is a heavily loaded, almost rhetorical question up in North India. For, there can never be a meal that’s not followed up with some kind of sweet preparation or the other. Offering up a mind-boggling range of sweets, many of which are dairy-centric, from the dominant barfis and pedas to the creamy kheers and shahi tukdas, there’s no dearth of options here.
If there’s one, ultra-finicky seasonal treat, then it would have to be nimish. Also known as makkhan
malai, and mainly found in Varanasi and Lucknow, both in the state Uttar Pradesh (UP), this winter
dessert is a delicate preparation that sees the froth from early morning dew-exposed milk scooped off and sweetened with sugar and flavoured with saffron or cardamom and served atop thickened sweet milk. This edible wonder is also known as daulat ki chaat in Delhi alluding to the expensive, hard-to-procure creamy layer!
One of the Hindu religion’s most sacred towns of Mathura beholds another delicious little treat-the
Mathure ka peda. Believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna, this town also in UP has been the
purveyor of these delectable morsels of heaven (pun intended!) for centuries that are made by cooking together fresh mawa (reduced milk solids), milk, sugar and ghee (clarified butter) with cardamom powder.
Resembling a bowl-shaped honeycomb, ghevar is one of Rajasthan’s greatest calling cards. Usually
prepared during the teej or raksha bandhan festival times, the filigreed delicacy is made by deep frying a slurry of oil, flour and sugar syrup and then dunking the whole sweet in more kewra (screw pine) essence-scented sugar syrup and served alongside a bowl of rabdi (reduced, almond and sugar milk).
With a rather curious name like matrimony, this sweet is an Anglo-Indian must have when a wedding in the family is to take place. Made usually by the mother of the bride-to-be, the sweet is a mixture of desiccated coconut, roasted semolina, condensed milk and yes, the very desi—ghee!
No list of North Indian sweets, however inexhaustive, can be complete without a mention of gujjias.
These crimp-edged, crescent-shaped fried dumplings are made by stuffing grated and roasted dry fruits, mawa and coconut powder into a pocket made from a mixture of semolina and wheat flour that are then deep fried and dunked in sugar syrup, but of course.

Southern Comfort
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a major chunk of the South Indian sweets’ repertoire is in some way or form influenced by the all-pervasive coconut. Take for instance Kerala’s delicious sweets that range from the cake-meets-halwa-meets-pancake, the coconut milk-redolent orappam to the Syrian Christian avalose podi made from a dry powder of roasted rice flour and ground coconut, eaten with a banana.
Carrying on the coconut leitmotif is the tati pandu kudumu from Andhra Pradesh (AP). This thick pancake is made from rice flour, coconut, jaggery and the pulp of the tadgola (palm fruit). Still in AP, the bobbatlu is similar to what is known as meethi roti in the North or puran poli in the West. This iteration is made with refined flour and is stuffed with a mix of gram lentils, jaggery and oodles of ghee.
Speaking of ghee and moving away from the ubiquity of the coconut, Karnataka’s Mysore pak is a
calorific treat where lashings of the clarified butter are introduced to sugar, gram flour, and cardamom powder and combined till a silken, melt-in-the-mouth texture is achieved. The creamy palkova from Srivilliputhur in Tamil Nadu made during the festival of Gokulashtami is a simple yet
luscious preparation made up of just two main ingredients—milk and sugar with a sprinkling of ghee and a dust of cardamom.
Dark, dense and delectable—is the best triple alliteration we could come up with to describe Tamil
Nadu’s Tirunelveli halwa laboriously made by stirring samba wheat and frothy, fermented milk along
with sugar and ghee all night long. It is widely believed that the halwa gets its great taste because it is cooked in the water from the river Thamirabharani.

Best of the West!
While not as ghee-laden as the Northern sweets, but pretty much as coconut-y as the South’s, the West of India has its fair share of sweet treats that are just as scrumptious. Made from colostrum milk, sugar and cardamom the wobbly kharvas is a treat from Maharashtra, as are the spicy dinkache ladoo that are made with dink an edible resin from the axle-wood tree, dried coconut flakes, ghee and dried fruits in their recipe. These strength-giving caloric bombs are specially fed to women who have just delivered a baby.
The East Indian community of Mumbai are legendary for their Christmas sweets particularly the thali
sweet that’s made from a whopping one kilogram of butter and half that quantity of semolina and sugar. Not for the faint hearted this one!
One of Gujarat’s most beloved sweets is the ghari from Surat. Stuffed with mawa and nuts, these deep-fried wheat flour puffs are mostly prepared during festivals like Chandani Padva or Diwali. Harnessing the goodness of whole milk, the Gujarati doodhpak is a rich pudding made with rice, milk, saffron and dry fruits and enjoyed at any old time one feels like it.
With its curious blend of colonial Portuguese and Indian influences, Goa’s sweets are a bite apart. A
version of the barfi, kokad made with desiccated coconut cooked with toasted semolina and sugar syrup is also found in Portugal’s other erstwhile colonies like Brazil. Similarly, pinag (also called pinaca) is a dense, dry, cocktail sausage-shaped confection that’s not overtly sweet made from coarsely ground rice flour, dried coconut and jaggery.
But the queen of all Goan sweets has got to be the seven layered bibinca. The egg yolk-butter-sugar-nutmeg-coconut milk concoction came about when a group of inventive 16th century Franciscan nuns in Goa used the leftover yolks—once the egg whites were used to stiffen their wimples—to make this sweet that’s baked with seven successive layers representing the seven hillocks that they had to ascend and descend every day in order to reach the church from their hilltop convent in Old Goa.

Feast from the East
While it is the milky, soft-textured Bengali sweets like sondesh, rasmalai and kheer kodom that dominate this Eastern ‘sweetscape’ with their legendary popularity, there are others that deserves a mention.
Criminally simple to made, but very more-ish are the narikolor naru from Assam that are rolled balls
made with just grated coconut and sugar. The nutty taste and mouth feel of the chakhao kheer from
Manipur made with black rice may be acquired sensations, but the taste of this creamy preparation is worth it. Served during the Losar festival in February-March each year, the crunchy khapse from Arunachal Pradesh is made from dried and roasted bundangmo (amaranth) flour that’s mixed with hot water and the resulting batter deep fried into crisp fritters. Speaking of fried, Odisha’s banana malpuas are worth every calorie. A batter made from milk, wheat flour, semolina and mashed bananas is deep fried into disks that then get coated in a sugar syrup and are always served at breakfast time.
Perhaps one of the healthiest sweets we can find in India is the chhangban leh kurtai from the state of Mizoram. This one sees rice flour mixed with jaggery and water to a paste that’s steamed after being enclosed within turmeric leaves that perfume and flavour the sweet. Very similar to this one is Tripura’s awan bangwi. Only here, ghee, cashews, raisins and ginger are added to the rice flour mix for heft and all this is steamed in cone-shaped lairu (turmeric) leaves.


Into the Drink
Why limit yourself to merely munching on something sweet? India’s wide repertoire of drinkable treats is no less legendary. Here’s a glimpse at four such examples:
* Piyush-this summer cooler popular both in Maharashtra and neighbouring Gujarat is a creamy treat that sees shrikhand (sweetened strained yogurt) churned into a frothy concoction along with buttermilk and spiced up with saffron strands, sugar and cardamom and nutmeg powder.
* Vonn-is a traditional Goan drinkable porridge made with coconut milk, jaggery and chana dal (gram lentils) along with bibbe (raw cashewnuts) all boiled together till thick and creamy.
* Thandai-also known as sardai this drink is made from sweetened milk and a paste of almonds, fennel seeds, watermelon seeds, rose petals, pepper, khus (vetiver) seeds, cardamom and saffron. It is super popular in the north of India and is generally served during the festivals of Holi and Maha Shivratri.
* Jigarthanda-literally translated into English as “heart cooling”, this drink originates in the South Indian city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu and is made up of a rather curious mix of sweetened reduced milk, badam pisin (gum tragacanth) and nannari (sarsaparilla) syrup. All this is topped up with a scoop of ice-cream.


The Savoury Quest
For those craving a bit of a savoury crunch after all that sweet talk, we have just the specimens for you!
* Kuzhalappam-these deep-fried tubular snacks from Kerala are made from bits of rice flour dough to which finely chopped onions and whole cumin are added.
* Saria-generally served as an accompaniment to the Parsi wedding feast these long, white wafers are made with sago flour and are simply irresistible!
* Til Nimki-these traditional Bengali snacks are made from wheat flour, sesame seeds and crushed
peppercorns and rolled into long, rectangular pieces before being deep fried.
* Drann-usually prepared on Maha Shivratri as bhog (offering) and served along with kehwa tea, these fried snacks from Kashmir are made from rice flour, boiled walnuts, red chilli powder and aromatic spices like cumin seeds, carom seeds and asafoetida water.
* Sel Roti-though Nepalese in origin, these fried, bangle-sized circular snacks are also made in Sikkim during the festival of Tihar and are a yummy preparation made from rice flour, salt and ghee. The sweet version eschews salt in favour of sugar and cardamom.


(An edited version of this article first appeared in the November 2017 issue of Jetwings International in-flight magazine of Jet Airways https://www.jetairways.com/EN/DE/JetExperience/magazines.aspx) 

The Many Hong Kongs

The high-octane, multi-faceted island city of Hong Kong is the perfect destination for a quick and impromptu summer vacation, offering you a plethora of things to do, see and yes…eat!

By Raul Dias

Old, but still brand, sparkling new. Endearingly traditional, yet startlingly modern. Fast-paced, while still limping along with an unhurried dignity.
To most people, Hong Kong may seem as though it inhabits myriad parallel dimensions. A place where several worlds collide in synchronistic harmony. So, yes, it wouldn’t be too far from the truth to say, that if Hong Kong were to be a person, it’d be accused of having a split personality.
But it is this very dichotomous nature that makes it so very fascinating for visitors.
While it has been exactly 20 years since this autonomous, Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China was handed back by the British, Hong Kong has remained pretty much the same over the last two decades. Yes, it still is one of the world’s most densely populated places, ranking number four on the list. And yes, it still is the sparkling jewel of the Pearl River Delta in the South China Sea that has something for just about everybody…

ATTRACTIONS NEAR AND FAR
A true Hong Kong icon, The Peak or to use its proper name, Victoria Peak offers a stunning panoramic view across the city with its Sky Terrace 428 standing at 428 meters above sea level, making it a scenic spot you won’t want to leave out of your itinerary. Getting to the peak involves a 15 minutes’ ride by the Peak Tram which is one of the world’s oldest and most famous funicular railways, rising to about 1,300 feet.
A misnomer if there ever was one, the New Territories—an hour out of the main Hong Kong city limits—may not be new, but hold promise of a great number of attractions. Prime among these is the Che Kung Temple in the Sha Tin neighbourhood where people go to seek a year full of good luck and fortune. Trudge up the path to score some karmic goodwill at the Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree where locals and tourists alike aim at throwing joss paper as high up into the tree’s branches as they can, to get their wishes fulfilled.
Equally mystical and a must-do is a visit to Big Buddha at the Po Lin Monastery on nearby Lantau Island. A short ride in the revolving Ngong Ping 360 cable car deposits you at the foot of the 34-meter tall bronze statue of the Buddha. Once at the top, besides ogling at the view of Hong Kong harbor, you can indulge in nature walks or learn a little bit about Buddhism from the monks.      

OF DIM SUMS, SHOPPING AND MORE
One of the best, and in our opinion, the ONLY way to kick start your edible innings in Kong Kong is to fuel up just like the city’s denizens do—with a belly-busting dim sum lunch, simply called yum cha! Meaning to ‘touch the heart’ dim sum joints are ubiquitous and can be found around almost every street corner in this fascinating city.
But for a truly memorable experience chowing down on wonders like the delicate siu mai and the silken shrimp har gau, head to the Sun Tung Lok restaurant in the Tsim Sha Tsui neighbourhood of Kowloon. This nondescript eatery was the first non-hotel restaurant and the second Chinese place in Hong Kong to receive three Michelin stars out of which is currently retains two. Don’t forget to round off your dim sum feast with a tall glass of iced oolong tea with a squirt of lemon and honey.
Still in the Kowloon side of Hong Kong, indulge in some retail therapy. And there truly is no dearth of shopping hot spots to cruise here in Kowloon, particularly the three famous Mong Kok markets. Legendary for its silks and jewellery, Stanley Market is a close rival to the Ladies’ Market where you can bargain for some great buys in the clothing and cosmetics’ areas. For antiques bargain your way through Cat Street. But for a real up-market shopping experience, head to PMQ. This former, superbly restored police housing block is home to around 100 design and creative pop-up enterprises in a revitalised historical site in the Central area of the city.
Peckish after all that shopping? Well, then try some succulent roast goose at Tai Hing in Mongkok or perhaps some char siu-filled rice noodle rolls called cheung fun from one of the many cart vendors that line the Sham Shui Po neighbourhood. 
Wash it all down with the bizarre-sounding, but divine-tasting hot Coca-Cola with ginger and lemon, best had at one of the city’s many cha chaan tengs as the local tea shops are called here. Finish off your meal with a few unsung heroes of Cantonese cuisine—desserts! Take your pick from the elaborate glutinous rice-based deep-fried sweet called nian gao from Guangdong to the simpler, but startlingly good quivering almond jelly studded with fresh fruit cubes.    

SUNDOWNERS AND CURTAIN CALLS
Perfect for a sundowner, head to Club Feather Boa in trendy SoHo. This former antiques store is legendary for its bohemian vibe and eclectic crowd and is one of the best places on the island to knock back a well-made pre-dinner drink. For a fine dining Cantonese dinner experience, make sure you have your reservations on at the posh, Shanghai-style China Club in Central that is famous for serving the best braised abalone in town along with its retro chic décor and vibe.
It’s now time for some vertical action! Having opened in late 2014, the 60 metres-high Hong Kong Observation Wheel is the city’s most coveted ride. Located on the Central Harbourfront, the wheel is the perfect place to see the daily 8pm start of the Symphony of Lights sound and light show at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront on the Avenue of Stars.
For another ‘up-in-the-clouds’ moment, head up to Sky100. This 360-degree indoor observation deck on the 100^th floor of the International Commerce Centre—that is also the tallest building in the city with 118 floors—in Kowloon is another new city attraction that promises to have you spellbound.
That is, if Hong Kong hasn’t done its number on you already!

Fancy a dan tat?
The perfectly scrumptious egg custard tart or dan tat as it is called in Hong Kong has had a very long and curious journey around the world before becoming one of the city’s most famous tea-time treats. While the current Hong Kong iteration is an adaptation of the pastel de nata, a popular snack in Macau, the latter is itself a colonial era derivative of the famous Portuguese pastéis de Belém of Belém, in Lisbon. These were created in the 17^th century by French Catholic monks, from the egg yolks that remained after the whites were used for starching the priests’ habits! 

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the May 2017 issue of Jetwings Domestic in-flight magazine of Jet Airwayshttp://www.jetairways.com/EN/IN/jetexperience/magazines.aspx)