Category: 2017

Surface Family Available in Microsoft’s HK Online Store

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Microsoft-Surface-Press-Conference-June-2017/i-nR8phZv

It’s been 18 months since the last real Microsoft Surface launch, a lifetime in computing terms. So what’s new? Pretty much everything, the Surface family now features four product lines: Surface Studio; Surface Book; Surface Pro and Surface Laptop all of which include a touchscreen and pen input.

Microsoft’s Hong Kong General Manager Horace Chow was upbeat and confident about the new Surface range of products with several digs at ipads and macbooks during his presentation. Will the new Surface machines attract Mac users – it will be interesting to see.

The rather lovely looking Surface Studio is a beautiful high resolution 28 inch touchscreen on a massive hinge which can stand vertically, lie completely flat or anywhere inbetween. Prices start from $24,888

The Surface Book is Microsoft’s top end laptop released in 2015 and updated last year, version 2 was expected to be released this month but has been delayed. It features a detachable 13.5 inch screen, separate graphics processor and ‘proper’ keyboard. Prices start from $11,588

The Surface Pro is a powerful laptop with a 12.3 inch touchscreen, back stand and an Alcantara fabric keyboard. The press release claims 14 hours of battery, life more than enough for a full day’s work. Prices start from $6,988

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Microsoft-Surface-Press-Conference-June-2017/i-8tXCR3P

The thin light Surface Laptop has a 13.5inch gorilla glass touchscreen and an Alcantara fabric keyboard and comes in four colours: platinum, graphite gold, cobalt blue and burgundy. Sadly the colour options are only available in a specific configuration. Prices start from $7,888.

Confusingly all four lines are sold with different versions of Windows, although it appears you can upgrade to Windows Pro free of charge until the end of 2017.

What to buy? There are now so many different chip sets, generations and numbers that it’s easy to become confused as to what to buy. Unlike a decade ago where the difference between generations of  Intel chips was massive, the differences in use for most everyday tasks will be barely noticeable. So unless your doing heavy number crunching or video encoding then choose the one that feels good to use with as much storage and ram as you can afford at www.microsoftstore.com.hk.

16 June 2017: Edited to reflect that the different colour Surface laptops are available in Hong Kong.

Portuguese Speaking Countries Promotion @ Club Lusitano – 14 June, 2017

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Portuguese-Speaking-Countries-Promotion-Club-Lusitano-14/i-3KTvhnR

Portuguese Speaking Countries Promotion @ Club Lusitano organised by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) to raise awareness of food products from across the lusophone world. Many of which can be found at the Portuguese-speaking Countries (PSCs) Food Products Exhibition Centre in Macau.
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Pizza Express Cook Off 2

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Pizza-Express-Cook-Off-2-Empire-Centre-6-June-2017/i-7k76tdC

Pizza Express have opened a new outlet at Empire Centre in TST East. The ground floor restaurant is also one the five participating in Pizza Express Cook Off 2. A vegetarian palate buster between Wan Veggie Mom’s Christine Cheng and PE’s Product Development Manager Sophia Cheung using vegetarian ‘fake’ meat.

Christine’s creation Beyond Burger Beef & Fig Pizza ($138) is a beautiful looking vibrant purple as she used beetroot sauce instead of the traditional tomato. Topped with buffalo mozzarella, ricotta cheese and crumbled marinated Beyond burger beef. The beetroot sauce was a little too salty but the combination of fig, beetroot and cheese on a thin crust was good. The fake burger meat added little beyond texture and the pizza would have been just as nice without it.

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Sophia chose a rectangular shape for her Beyond Chicken & Kale Pesto Pizza ($138) which was loaded with fake chicken, ricotta cheese, cherry tomatoes, walnuts, kale chips with a pesto sauce. There was little to no ‘chicken’ taste from the fake meat, but the pizza was full of texture and flavour.

Both chef’s have created interesting visually attractive and tasty pizzas that offer something new and different from Pizza Express’ regular menu. The vegetarian ‘meat’ did little for either pizza, and personally I would love to taste both with real meat. You can try the ladies Cook Off pizzas, and vote for your favourite, from 13 June at these Pizza Express outlets: Empire Centre, Wing Fung Street, Wellington Street, Mira Place and Airport.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Pizza-Express-Cook-Off-2-Empire-Centre-6-June-2017/i-W9ttTM4

Carlo Riva Grand Opening – 10 June, 2017

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Carlo Riva, Wanchai’s newest steakhouse celebrated it’s grand opening with a traditional ceremony and lion dance on the 10th June.
Click on any photo for the full gallery

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HK Spirits & Pairing Festival 2017

Later this month on the rooftop of The Park Lane Hotel as well as a gorgeous view of Victoria Harbour you’ll be able to sample over 100 spirits and pair them with a range of cigars. The first HK Spirits & Pairing Festival offers whiskey and whisky as well as gin, rum and a range of cocktails.

Whisky with or without an ‘e’, countries with an ‘e’ in their name tend to use an e for their whiskey, is a generic term for a spirit distilled from a mash of fermented grains. There are a multitude of different whiskies including bourbon, rye, Tennessee, Scotch, Irish, Japanese, Canadian… distilled across the globe each very different from the other. And yet while wine tastings are ten-a-penny, there are few broad range spirits tastings. So if you fancy a dram or two…

HK Spirits & Pairing Festival 2017
Date: 12pm, 24 June, 2017
Venue: The Park Lane Hotel, Rooftop
Tickets: $680, $300

Megabites: Food & Restaurant News 8 June, 2017

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Carlo-Riva-Wanchai-1-June-2017/i-pXWLcGh

Carlo Riva

There’s a new steakhouse in Wanchai Carlo Riva. The 5,000+ square foot restaurant with an impressive looking open kitchen is spread over two floors at 1 Heard Street, with the upstairs offering several private rooms.

The menu features steak cuts from across the globe: US, Australian, New Zealand, Argentina, France and some fine US tomahawks. Also on the soft opening menu is a range of pasta and vegetarian dishes. And they’re baking their own bread, the brie chunks in black sesame seed flour is rather good! There’s a separate and extensive lunch menu, from $68 up, with unlimited chips.

Style wise, to quote one of the owners “It’s relaxed fine dining with good sized portions at reasonable prices” and we can’t argue with that. Currently there’s no corkage charge so BYOB and no service charge.

Carlo Riva: 1 Heard Street, Wanchai Tel: 3956 2388
Opening Hours: 12-3pm, 6-11pm www.facebook.com/CarloRivaHK/

Brydock Farm Anti-biotic Free Pork

There’s a burgeoning market among the affluent who want to buy and eat meat only from ‘ethically’ reared and ‘healthy’ animals. Looking to cater to that market in the UK and now available locally is Brydock Farms with their range of anti-biotic free pork. Television adverts want us to continue to think of farms as small family-run places. Those simply aren’t economic today, at Brydock’s Farm for example in Aberdeenshire they have 10,500 outdoor sows and produce 4,600 pigs a week.

What has also changed are the government regulations, these are now very strict in the UK and cover all aspects of food production including animal feed, transportation, welfare, they also track each individual animal from the farm through the slaughterhouse. You can read more about this at www.redtractor.org.uk which looks to ensure promote clearer labeling and ensure food originates from a trustworthy source. Not only are these regulations in-place to prevent disease, they also ensure that if a farm claims for example that it’s pigs are anti-biotic free they can be tracked and tested to confirm it’s true. Brydock Farms anti-biotic free pork can be found in the freezers of your local supermarkets.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Geyre-Grand-Opening-3-June-2017/i-7Vkvsf6

Organic Fusion Bar G.Eyre

Newly opened in Wanchai is Genie Chan’s ‘organic fusion bar’ G.Eyre. All the ingredients are claimed to be organically sourced, principally from Australia, but unlike many other recently opened ‘organic places’ it’s refreshingly very much not vegetarian.

Appertisers include stewed potatoes with black dates ($78), mussels w/cider ($108). Mains feature organic chicken, cod, salmon, prawns and ribs but sides dishes are extra. A range of light meals with quinoa and brown rice cater to the calorie counters among you including teriyaki tofu w/cucumbers (228 calories) and spicy American beef stew (325 calories). Coffees and flower teas range from $20-$42. There’s also various set lunches daily. A 10% service charge is added.

G.eyre: 69 Hennessy Road, Wanchai. Tel: 2818 6992.
Opening hours: 11:30am-10pm
www.g.eyreorganic.com.hk

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