bc magazine

Vegetarian Fish and Chips at Chip In

Recently Chip In a local social conscious fish and chip chain sent bc an invite to try their new vegetarian fish and chips. Intrigued, a Saturday afternoon visit to their branch in The Vantage at Hung Hom was arranged.

In all honesty, we weren’t expecting much, if you want to eat fish (or meat) then, at the moment, nothing matches the real thing for flavour or texture.
And the same is true with ‘vegetarian’ fish, in a direct comparison – really there is no comparison – to cod the beautiful flaky white pieces of cod are delicious. And ‘fish and chips’ is really cod and chips, nothing else is better battered and deep-fried to a golden hue.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/20220514-Vegetarian-Fish-Chips-Chip-In/i-TGRrx9D

That said if you don’t try to compare it to the real thing, the vegetarian soy product is not that bad. It has a reasonable texture and flavour, if a little salty, and it holds the batter well.

And for dessert, there are Chip In’s unique deep-fried Oreo cookies, sweet chewy and delicious!

If your vegetarian friends have been keeping you away from your local fish and chip shop, then invite them along to Chip In in Sai Kung or Hung Hom and everyone will be happy.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/20220514-Vegetarian-Fish-Chips-Chip-In/i-FfZLKf5

Chip In: Sai Kung
Shop 11, G/F, 9 King Man Street,
Sai Kung, Hong Kong.
Tel: 6418 6575
Opening Hours: 11am – 7:30pm

Chip In: Hung Hom
Unit 28, G/F The Vantage, 63 Ma Tau Wai Road,
Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
Tel: 9452 3373
Opening Hours: 11am – 9pm

Tian’anmen Square Vigil – 4 June, 2022

Today we honour and remember those who died in and around Tian’anmen Square in 1989.

We take time to light a candle in their memory! Not to make a political statement but because honouring and remembering those who have died is an important and integral part of Hong Kong, Chinese and yes English culture.

That some would threaten violence towards those who wish to remember the dead says far more about them than us… What next, will Ching Ming Festival be banned as well?

HKPPA News Photo of the Year: The Pillar of Shame

The Hong Kong Press Photographers Association (HKPPA) has announced the winner of its annual “Focus on the Frontline” photo competition.

The 2021 winner is HK01‘s Liu Ngan Hung for his photo “The Pillar of Shame” depicting workers removing the Pillar of Shame from HKU. The statue remembers those murdered when the People’s Liberation Army opened fire on democracy protesters in Tian’anmen Square on 4 June 1989.

The “Focus On The Frontline” photo contest began in 1993 and has become one of the most prestigious awards for local photojournalists. Through the competition, the HKPPA looks for photographs that are important to Hong Kong’s history and which combine the elements of art and journalism.

Commenting on the winner “The jury thinks ‘The Pillar of Shame’ reflects the Hong Kong people’s sustained concern over June 4th, which is also a yearning and worries for the country’s democratisation. As workers removed the pillar in the twilight, it symbolises the freedoms of thought and expression once cherished in Hong Kong being dispossessed. The lighting condition and framing of the photograph gives it a baroque aesthetic, bringing tension to the work. The posture of workers lowering their heads to avoid being photographed and the darkness that envelopes the action are metaphorical, constructing a meaning that is more than the sum of all the visual elements in the image.”

Ming Pao’s Lam Oi Yee image of people drinking on a street, metres away from a fatal car accident came second in the Spot News category.

Feasts ’n Treats Dining Offers

The Hong Kong Tourism Board is launching its “Feasts ’n Treats” discount dining promotion today (2 June). 20,000 sets of half-price cash vouchers, valid at 800 restaurants, will be offered for six consecutive weeks.

Feasts ’n Treats cash vouchers worth HK$200 or $400 will be sold at half price (HK$100 and $200, respectively) for use at participating outlets. At the promotion website, https://feastsntreats.openrice.com pick the restaurant and buy the voucher. New voucher quotas go on sale every Thursday at 10am.

Vinexpo Rebrands and Moves to Singapore in 2023

After twenty years Vinexpo Hong Kong is no more. The government’s covid restrictions on travel and the bar and restaurant trade have essentially forced the popular wine exhibition to leave Hong Kong for a location where over 1000 global exhibitors will be able to participate.

CEO of Vinexposium Rodolphe Lameyse commented on the move “Unfortunately I and my shareholders consider that Hong Kong is not where we want to be in the future.”

Vinexpo Asia will take place at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from 23-25 May 2023.

Project 4th June, a 24-hour Online Dance Commemoration of Tiananmen

Singaporean artist Ming Poon, aka Ming Apur, likes as he puts it to use choreography as a “tool to interrogate, disrupt and re-organise the social and political relationality of the body in time and space.”

Poon’s latest work is Project June 4th a 24-hour online commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests that looks to use dance to speak out against state censorship of peaceful dissent, criticism and the erasure and rewriting of history. For as Poon says “Once we forget, history repeats itself and the oppressors become emboldened”.

On 4 June 1989 the peaceful mass student protests in Tiananmen Square were ended by military force. Although more than 30 years have passed, the Chinese government still suppresses any mention or acknowledgement of the incident.

On 5 June a single man stood against a column of tanks… Project 4th June commemorates those who were murdered, the movement and choreography of Tank Man represents as Poon puts it “the potential that lies within ordinary persons to stop the machines of violence and oppression. It is also a call-out to stand up against injustice, no matter how small we think we are and how insurmountable we think the task is.”

6 dancers will take turns performing Tank Man throughout the 24-hour commemoration. Each will attempt to interpret the choreography in a way that expresses their individual thoughts and relationship to the Tiananmen Square incident, state censorship and the fight for human rights and democracy.

The 6 dancers are:
1. Pink Tank: “Watch out, the world is not behind you.”
2. Tank Ghost: “Of Ghosts and Shells”
3. Tank Zheng: “No Tank On Rainbow”
4. Tank Sexy: “The Days Without Cigarettes / 沒有煙抽的日子“
5. Tank Plant: “Planting the Reality”
6. Tank Critique Critique: “Which Tanks Do You Need To Stand In Front Of?”

If you want to watch, join or participate (see the video above for the choreography) in the commemoration Poon has an event etiquette to help make it safe for everyone. Keep your identity, as well as others’ anonymous!

If you turn on your camera during the commemoration, put on a mask before doing so. Also, make sure that your background does not reveal any personal information, ideally sit with a blank wall as your background.
Microphones will be turned OFF by default throughout the commemoration, to avoid voice detection.
Before entering the commemoration room, replace your display name with an alias. Your alias should be written in the following manner: Tank ___ (e.g., Tank Person, Tank ABC, Tank 123, etc,). Do not include any personal information in it.

Project June 4th
Date: 4 June, 2022 (
Venue: live stream on Zoom and Youtube
Tickets: Free
More info: www.mingapur.com
live stream on Zoom and Youtube

Ruby Tuesday Tuen Mun Review

Ruby Tuesday are on a tear with the opening of a third new restaurant in less than a year. The success of the new style restaurant in K11 Art Mall saw the opening of a first Ruby Tuesday in what could be considered a very local market: Po Lam – Tseung Kwan O. The new outlet in Tuen Mun builds on those successes while incorporating new Covid protections and innovations to ensure the safety of customers and staff.

The Tuen Mun branch, located on the ground floor of Trend Plaza, is smaller than the other new outlets but incorporates the outdoor seating which has proven very popular among customers. While it may be a little hot (or wet), there are no fans, to sit outside in summer. The outdoor tables will surely be in high demand as the weather cools.

The feel of the new branch is a little darker than the bright openness of K11, the more notable difference though is Ruby Tuesday’s first open kitchen in Hong Kong. It’s not fully open, but offers diners the chance to see the kitchen crew in action and also a chance to see that Covid protocols are being observed in the kitchen and that the staff member tasked with keeping the broad swathes of stainless steel shining clean is on task.

As for the food, a new Express set lunch (available only at TKO, Po Lam and Tuen Mun) offers meals at prices similar to local chain outlets. And the staff were working hard to ensure that diners could enjoy their meal during a lunch hour.

It was steaming hot the day bc visited Ruby’s in Tuen Mun so we sampled Ruby’s range of (delicious) smoothies and iced drinks – the highlight being Ruby’s Passion a mango smoothie topped with passion fruit puree, the tartness of passion fruit reigning in the sweetness of the mango. The coffee frappuccino with ice cream was basically flavourless liquid and a disappointment compared to the rather nice one we enjoyed previously at K11.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2021/20210625-11pro-Ruby-Tuesday-Tuen-Mun-/i-7ZdJJw2

On a personal note, I don’t really see the point of trying to create ‘fake’ meat and have always found the results disappointing. Discussing this recently, a friend offered a suggestion, don’t think of Impossible as fake meat, think of it as something like tofu which can be prepared and enjoyed in many different ways. Seen and eaten in that way, it’s an enjoyable and textured alternative to meat. Ruby’s Impossible quesadilla was tasty and filling, while the newly added Butcher’s Steak offered a meaty and flavourful reminder that there really is nothing like meat.

bc hadn’t noticed it on the menus in previous visits, so we can’t say if it’s new, but several menu items had a Keto symbol to help those on that food plan.

One of the many small changes in recent years that have re-energised the brand locally and made it an enjoyable place for lunch and dinner where the food tastes as good as it looks.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2021/20210625-11pro-Ruby-Tuesday-Tuen-Mun-/i-7qGnSjF

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2021/20210625-11pro-Ruby-Tuesday-Tuen-Mun-/i-JSJJ2cn

Ruby Tuesday Tuen Mun

Location: Shop 39-40, Level 1, North Wing, Trend Plaza, Tuen Mun
Tel: 3598 3098

Very Hot Weather Warnings – But No Water

In recent weeks as temperatures have risen the government has issued almost daily Very Hot Weather Warnings.

Among the obvious, but welcome hot weather reminders is ‘Drink plenty of water’ which is sensible advice – except that the LCSD has closed all the public drinking fountains.

Far more people are likely to be injured or suffer from the heat than catch Covid-19 from the metal surface of a water fountain.

Hot Weather Warning

The Hong Kong Observatory has issued the Very Hot Weather Warning.

To prevent heatstroke, avoid prolonged activities outdoors.

If engaged in outdoor work or activities, wear a wide-brimmed hat and light-coloured, loose-fitting clothes. Stay in shaded areas as much as possible.

Drink plenty of water, and avoid beverages containing caffeine or alcohol.

If you feel sick, consult a doctor right away.