Saturday, July 12, 2014

Rest and Pasta (This week's Photo Hunt themes)


Pasta purists: avert your eyes!  Or, rather, read what I have to say before looking (closely) at the photos at the top of this week's entry for Sandi's and Gattina's Photo Hunts!

The reason I write this is because none of the pasta dishes above are the kind that would be seen in an Italian restaurant. I'd even go so far as to suggest that they are not meant to be looked upon as Asian takes on Italian dishes.  Far more accurate to think of them as showing the love that people in certain Asian territories have for pasta -- hence their incorporating that ingredient into their cooking.

The top most photo is of a dish of -- brace yourself -- fried spaghetti with ox tongue, peas, carrots and tomatoes that's actually pretty yummy as well as substantial. (So yes, I did feel a need to go home and rest for a bit after eating it!).  It was taken in the Goldfinch Restaurant, a dining establishment serving Soy Sauce Western cuisine that has a special place for Hong Kong film buffs as a result of it featuring in Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love (and again in 2046).

The second photo from the top is of a budget set that I frequently order whenever I eat at a branch of the Macau Restaurant chain that serves up "Macau-style" food here in Hong Kong.  For less than HK$40 (~US$5.16), I get a bowl of macaroni, beef and vegetables in a tomato soup, a plate of sweet crispy bun slathered with butter and scrambled eggs, and a soft drink of my choice -- not bad, eh?

The third photo is of a plate of mentaiko spaghetti with a seaweed garnish and a slice of garlic bread.  For the record: I love mentaiko -- on its own, with rice, stuffed into chicken wings or as a sauce.  The first time I heard of this Japanese pasta concoction though, I must admit to thinking it a bit strange to have spicy pollack or cod roe and spaghetti in the same dish.  As weird as it may sound though, it really works -- with the Tsim Sha Tsui branch of the Te chain being my go-to place for it these days.

So... would you guys be willing to try these dishes?  Sure, they may not look the greatest but I really do find them tasty.  And with that said, I'll hereby give my preaching about them a rest! ;b

14 comments:

Gattina said...

I think Spaghettis are known all over the world ! And Mr. G. doesn't like them !

Trekcapri said...

Hi YTSL, I love pasta. I don't eat meat so I think your 3rd photos attracts me the most. That pasta dish looks very delicious. And it's an interesting pairing with the seaweed. I would love a taste.

And now I want to make some pasta for dinner tomorrow.

Have a great weekend.

Una said...

oh, the third picture looks really tasty...well not the picture itself but the spaghettie :)
I think I'm hungry...

MaR said...

Your choices of pasta dishes sound very tasty.Except maybe the first one with the ox tongue! I have eaten it cold as an entree only...

Thanks for your kind words. Life is (fun) busy nowadays and that's why I haven't been blogging but I don't want to miss it ! Happy weekend, YTSL

YTSL said...

Hi Gattina --

Wow re Mr G not liking spaghetti -- especially as he's Italian! Does he like other pasta though? Hope so!

Hi Trekcapri --

I think all those dishes are better tasting than they look. A non-meat pasta dish that's my own concoction is:spaghetti with onions, mushrooms, brussel sprouts and anchovies (all of which I like individually, so I figured I might as well combine them). I remember my housemates in the US being horrified whenever I ate it! ;b

Hi Una --

I was afraid all the dishes looked untasty in my photos... ;b

Hi Marcy --

Ox tongue can be really good. I've had it cold, hot... and even raw/tartare! ;b

And you're welcome re the "kind words". Good to see you blogging and Photo Hunting again. :)

magiceye said...

I think I will have a plate of mentaiko spaghetti!!

Anonymous said...

I immediately got that connection- a big plate of carbs will force hours of rest upon you!

Have a great weekend.

Susan Demeter said...

They may sound weird but they definitely look delicious :)

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

I would need a rest after eating those dishes!!

eastcoastlife said...

Sounds weird but I would try them. :D
Hong Kong has lots of yummy food, with limited time when holidaying there, usually I won't go for pasta. haha...

YTSL said...

Hi magiceye --

Good choice! :b

Hi JDeQ --

A big plate of anything gets me needing to rest a bit afterwards! ;)

Hi Sue --

Good on you for your willingness to entertain the idea that these unorthodox pasta dishes are delicious! ;b

Hi Sandi --

That's often the case with me -- though, actually, the mentaiko spaghetti's on the light side! ;)

Hi EastCoastLife --

I understand and see where you are coming from! :)

Anne said...

Haha, I like how you linked it in with the theme at the end! I thought you were going to say there was so much food, you couldn't finish the *rest* of it! The dishes look very tasty, I'd give them all a try!

sarah bailey knight said...

Hi ytsl,

All three dishes look very good. If I had to pick one I'd choose the last dish. I love and will eat pasta in any shape from any country.

YTSL said...

Hi Anne --

I'm one of those "try to not leave anything on the plate" kind of people... So not finishing the "rest" of the food shots wouldn't work for me! ;b

Hi Sarah sbk --

I eat the beef and macaroni in tomato sauce and spaghetti with mentaiko more than the Goldfinch's ox tongue spaghetti dish. Among other things, they're not as heavy -- and are served in restaurants which are great for when you're in a hurry! :)