It's Riesling Time: Sat July 30

Forget the stereotype sweet Rieslings you might have tasted before and come discover why Riesling is known as the 'food lovers wine'. Riesling has incredible food pairing versatility and can match with almost any dish...even the more challenging spicy Asian, Mexican or Morrocan dishes.

For the next event, Elisa our Once Upon A Table novice sommelier will guide you through 5 different Rieslings tastings ranging from a range of styles from sweet, dry, semi-dry, light, full-bodied, or wonderfully crisp, citrusy and fruity.

We will be pairing the Riesling with small delicious food dishes that work well with the diverse flavors and characters of the wine. We hope it will be a Riesling Revelation for you. Here is a sneak peak at the menu (note: some items may be adapted slightly).

Welcome drink - Lychee Bellini

Chilean Riesling, San Antonio Leyda or Bio Bio

Char-grilled Scallops served with edamame, grapefruit zest and mint oil

Australian Riesling, Clare Valley

Grilled fish with tacos with mango salsa, salsa verde and crunchy red cabbage

French Riesling, Alsace

Chicken Riesling liver pate with caramelized onions and currents served on warm char-grilled homemade gingerbread

German Riesling, Rheingau or Mosel

Cheeses plate with homemade pineapple and green apple jam

For Dessert, Riesling Pear Ice Popsicles

'It's Riesling Time' will be held Sat 30 July 4:30-8:30pm.

Secret home venue to be revealed the day before.

Total costs per guest $480.

Bookings will be open this Thursday 21 July - 12- 3pm.

Email us at onceuponatable@gmail.com

We have only 12 spaces. First come, first served. Be quick as we tend to sell out quickly.

Bon Appetit!

Once Upon A Table team

Brewilicious photos - a beer tasting extravaganza

Our guests Will and Kai Chin admire the golden, honey colors of the beer

What better way to spend a lazy hot Saturday in Hong Kong than sampling cold, refreshing and uniquely flavoured craft brewed beers with 16 lovely Once Upon A Table guests.

For Brewilicious we collaborated with Jeff Boda, beer guru from Foreign Devil beers who curated and showcased the 6 craft brewed beers. Guests were welcomed with a 'Michelda', a refreshing Mexican beer cocktail made with chilled beer, lots of ice, a few drops of Tabasco sauce and a wedge of lime.

Jeff started the tasting in a tiny Japanese fishing village, where they brew a complex blonde ale with tart citrus notes. It was then on to Belgium for something a bit darker, with a hint of caramel, from the local Trappist monks. We finished our journey in America with a Rogue Chocolate Stout, made with real chocolate and accompanied by home made Twix. Jeff had one last adventure for our guests, perhaps the most surprising been many of them had ever tasted, a 15 year old aged Samuel Adams Triple Bock with the smoothness of Port.

The tasty plates of food we matched to the flavour of the beers, were gobbled up hungrily.

Special thanks to one of our guests Andrew who generously opened up his home in Sheung Wan as the Brewilicious secret venue.

Thanks also to our awesome guests!

Menu Message in a Bottle

Lovely guests Karen and Yeeman

To complement the refreshing North Coast Blue Star Wheat Ale,

Shreya made warm roast fennel and gouda cheese tarts

Jeff the beer guru passionately sharing his love and respect for craft brews

Guests chilling out and savoring the full flavors of the beers

Check out the beautiful golden, honey colors

Angie's Whitefish Sashimi Bruschetta with coriander, red onion and lime juice...very moreish

Topping up again

Beautiful beer labels

What better to pair a crisp, malty amber ale beer than ale marinated chicken. yum Argha!

We think the Trappist Belgium beer making would have enjoyed kicking back with some strong cheeses, homemade strawberry jam, homemade pineapple jam with ginger and homemade paprika crackers.

The lovely ladies guests - Jana, Fu Ting and Agatha

Thank you from the Once Upon A Table Team - Argha, Shreya, Angie

The ultimate sweet tooth fix - Homemade Twix bars with crunchy shortbread,

chewy sweet caramel and milk chocolate

To finish a 15 year vintage beer that tastes like a port or sherry!!

Shreya's Easy Peasy & Moreish Artichoke Dip Recipe

Prepping the artichoke dip

A bit of a cheat but super easy - canned artichokes

Shreya's Artichoke dip was a highly requested recipe from our 'Explore the Spice Route' guests in May. The recipe is super easy but very tasty indeed! We served this with warm thin homemade fennel flatbreads. Yum!

RECIPE FOR ARTICHOKE DIP

1 can or artichoke drained and chopped roughly (available at any big welcome supermarket)

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup grated parmesan

Pinch of salt

2 teaspoons of fresh grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder

2 pinches of paprika

Mix all ingredients together in an oven proof dish and bake for 30 mins at 180C til it sets well and looks slightly golden brown on top. Let it stand for 5 mins before serving. Sprinkle with a with pinches of paprika for a bit of color.

Brewlicious: Beer tasting afternoon with Jeff the beer guru

This month we are pleased to bring you 'BREWILICIOUS' - a Once Upon A Table mini-event in collaboration with Foreign Devil beers importers.

This beer tasting event is for people who like good beer AND even for those who think they don't like beer. This will change your mind.

The afternoon includes the tasting of 6 artisanal beers and 5 small food plates, finishing with something sweet. The beer selection is curated by Jeff Boda, ex Beer Critic of The Chicago Tribune and Owner of Foreign Devil Beer Importers. Experience a range of remarkable craft brews each with a distinct character, flavour, aftertaste and it's own tale.

We will kick off with a refreshing wheat ale and a fruit-infused Japanese Summer ale. We then move onto a robust amber ale before sampling an intoxicating Belgian trappist ale. Finally we will sample a chocolate stout and then round off the tasting with a 15 year old digestif.

Each beer will be matched with delectable small plates of food that complement the beers, but don't distract.

Note: Don't expect any Heineken, Carlsberg or Budweiser!

Date: Saturday 25 June, 1-4pm

Venue: Secret venue to be revealed day before

RSVP: Bookings open Wednesday 15 June - 10am.

Spaces limited, first come first served.

Cost: $480 per person

Below - the full details of the craft brews and dishes we will serve up:

North Coast Blue Star Wheat Ale

Paired with Slow Roasted Fennel Tarts with thyme, lemon and goats cheese

Baird Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale

Paired with White Fish Sashimi Bruschetta

Baird Red Rose Amber Ale

Paired with Hot and Smoky Cajun Chicken

Chimay Blue Trappist Ale

Paired with aged cheese, homemade crackers and fig paste

Rogue Chocolate Stout

Paired with homemade Twix - shortbread biscuit, caramel, covered in thin chocolate

Digestif: 15 year old Sam Adams Triple Bock

Bring your own cigars if you wish

Explore the Spice Route

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

Last Saturday we held our secret supper club on a balmy warm evening on the terrace of a HK resident overlooking Kennedy town harbor and Kowloon in the far distance. We had 16 lovely new guests join us on the 'Explore the Spice Route' evening. We were also joined by Jeff a.k.a the beer guru from Foreign Devil Beers who is an ex-beer critic for Chicago Times. Check out his awesome boutique beer recommendations at Foreign Devil Beers. We also had Stefan Irvine, a lovely and talented photographer who kindly took pics of us madly rushing around cooking and of the magical evening (check out his website here).

Special thanks to our friend April for volunteering to help us cook and serve for 12 hours!!

Sofia our other Once Upon A Table Chef has just recently popped out her first newborn baby and was missed.

'Explore the Spice Route' was a fabulous theme as we discovered magical and fascinating stories about the origins and mythology of exotic spices from the far corners of the globe. Did you know nutmeg originates from the 'Spice Islands' of Maluki and has long been believed to impart magical powers from sexual performance to protection against evil? Or that Sage originates from the Latin word 'to be saved' and linked to eternal life? Cumin on the other hand originates from the Nile Valley in Egypt and was commonly used for mummifications.

We finished the night with the most precious and expensive spice of them all: Saffron which is actually worth more than its weight in gold. Its golden color is associated with enlightenment, wisdom, anti-aging and aphrodisiacs and has been around since 50,000 BC!! Alexander the Great even used to bathe in saffron to treat his wounds.

We kick-started the night with Elisa's zingy, dry Martini's with fresh ginger, lime and coriander ice-cubes. Very refreshing and strong!!! ha ha

A Warm Welcome from the Once Upon A Table Team

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

Decorating the table with a myriad of spices and colors - cloves, black cardomon, cinnamon sticks, dried chilli, panchphoron, whole nutmegs, sumac, Za'atar, coriander seeds

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

Dressing the Baklava with rose petals and crushed pistachios

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

A magical night with a magical view of Hong Kong

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

Jeff the beer guru from Foreign Devil Beer was somewhat tipsy from his all day junk trip and was very very talkative and very very enthusiastic to imparts his incredible knowledge of boutique beers and their unique flavors to our guests. He talked for 15 mins non-stop..ha ha!

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

Two delicious beers recommended by Jeff. Numazu Lager from Baird Brewery from a fishing village in Japan perfectly complemented the Fresh, crunchy Turkish salad with pomegranate molasses, sumac and walnuts.

Whilst the Juniper Pale Ale from Rogue Ales, Newport, USA, a clean crisp pale ale with lots of floral and hops flavor went down a treat with the aromatic Prawn Bengali 5 Spice coconut curry.

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

Shreya working her magic, cracking open the oven baked coconut

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

Viola!! You had to be there to smell the incredible aromas of coconut and Panchphoron spice (which includes fenugreek, nigella seed, cumin, onion seeds, and fennel seeds)

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

Mmmm Sherya's prawn curry with Panchphoron spice was sooo delicious...luckily for me there was one coconut curry left for me to have as leftovers for the week!!

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

INTERMISSION: Spice tasting with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Olive oils -

Za'atar, Lemon Zest, Pepperoncino

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

Elisa uncorks the wine uncorked and ready to serve with the Boeuf - wine and dish both from the same region Burgundy, France.

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

Deliciously rich and pungent Boeuf Bourguignon made with 2 bottles of wine and Indian 5 spice...yummo

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

Chatty and happy guests enjoy the meal and meeting new friends

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

A mini break with a sweet and refreshing watermelon granita with a crunchy sugar crystallized sage leaf

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

Lip tingling spicy cumin Xinjiang BBQ New Zealand Lamb (My dad's recipe) served with homemade

spring onion pancakes.

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

To finish a flaky syrupy Persian baklava with ground cardomon and saffron infused Rosewater and Orange Zest syrup (if you look closely you can see a few saffron threads and orange zest)

(Photos Courtesy of Stefan Irvine)

Thanks to our lovely guests for making it a lovely and memorable evening.

We are thinking of having a cook-in (informal, social cooking class) end of June before another full dinner in July. So pass our details to your friends if you think they might be interested.

Menu to our next event: Explore the Spice Route 28 May

Explore the Spice Route Menu

Brought to you by Once Upon A Table

Sat 28 May 7pm at a Secret Location

GINGER

Lime Martini with fresh ginger, soda and coriander ice cubes

NUTMEG, PAPRIKA & FENNEL

Artichoke dip with nutmeg, sour cream and parmesen

Smoky Babaganoush with paprika and toasted walnuts

Warm Homemade Fennel Flat breads

SUMAC

Turkish Gurvadagi Salad with fresh tomatoes, parsley, crunchy walnuts, pomegranate molasses and sumac

Paired with crisp, hoppy European style Namuzu lager from Baird Brewery, Japan

PANCHPHORON (INDIAN 5 SPICE BLEND)

Prawns steamed inside a tender coconut with panchphoron

Paired with malty, yeasty Juniper Pale Ale from Rogue Ales, Newport, USA

OLIVE OIL AND SPICE TASTING

Middle Eastern Olive Oil with Za'tar

Italian Olive Oil with paprika and pepperoncino

MUSTARD

Boeuf Bourguignon with Indian Spice Mash and Dijon Mustard

Paired with 2009 Jean Foillard, Morgan (AC) Cote Du Py

SAGE

Seasonal watermelon and sage granita to refresh the palate

CUMIN

New Zealand lamb chargrilled Xinjiang style with cumin served with cool cucumber and spring onion pancake

Paired with 2008 Domaine des Dimanche, Coteaux du Vendomois

SAFFRON

Persian baklava spice with cardamon and drizzled with safforn infused rosewater syrup

Served with fresh mint tea or coffee

MENU - Explore the Spice Route

Brought to you by ONCE UPON A TABLE . sat 28 may 7pm.

Ginger

Lime Martini with fresh ginger, soda and coriander ice cubes

Nutmeg, Paprika and Fennel

Artichoke Dip with Nutmeg, sour cream and cheese

Smoky Babaganoush with Paprika and walnut

Warm homemade Fennel flat breads

Sumac

Turkish Gurvadagi Salad with fresh tomatoes, parsley, crunchy walnuts, pomegranate molasses & sumac

Paired with crisp, hoppy European style Numazu Lager from Baird Brewery , Japan

Panchphoron ( Indian 5 spice blend)

Prawns steamed inside a tender coconut with Indian 5 spice

Paired with malty, yeasty Juniper Pale Ale from Rogue Ales, Newport, USA

Olive Oil and Spice Tasting

middle eastern Olive Oil with Za’tar

italian olive oils with Paprika and peperoncino

Mustard

Boeuf Bourguignon with an Indian spice mash and dijon mustard

Paired with 2009 Jean Foillard, Morgon (AC),Côte du Py

Sage

Seasonal watermelon and sage granita to refresh the palate

Cumin

New Zealand lamb Chargrilled Xinjiang Style with cumin, served with cool cucumber and spring onion pancakes

Paired with 2008 Domaine des Dimanche, Coteaux du Vendomois

Saffron.

Persian Baklava spiced with cardamom and drizzled with saffron infused rosewater syrup

Served with fresh mint tea or coffee

Explore the Spice Route

Once Upon A Table’s next secret gathering takes a journey along the Silk Road’s Spice Route. We’ve scoured the globe for exotic spices that unearth the richness of this trade through their intriguing tales and flavours.

Join us on Saturday the 28th of May for Explore the Spice Route - an evening of story telling, discovery and surprise as we share a 7 course sensorial menu paired that has been carefully with a selection of wines and artisinal beers.

Cost per head $550 – includes 7 courses with wine and artisinal beer to match

To RSVP please email onceuponatable@gmail.com on the 12th of May between 12noon and 3pm. The first 14 guests to reply will be invited.

(please do not RSVP before this date/time - we need to keep our guest list fair!)

Menu details to be revealed shortly

Around the World in 8 Wines

Our most recent secret gathering - Around the World in 8 Wines - was experimental in many ways, which made it stand out for us. And judging from the feedback, our guests loved it too. We partnered with The Kitchen Nomads and Fred Lam a genius photographer (check out some of Fred's pro pics below) which we thoroughly enjoyed. We tried a new venue - a spacious, converted warehouse right at the end of the Island Line in Chai Wan. And we focused the evening on wines from uncommon parts of the world which we then paired with an eclectic mix of delicious food. We were fortunate enough to have Africa2Asia sponsor a sensational South African Delheim Pinotage and S&D German Wines donate undiscovered "boutique wines" from Germany.

Elisa once again captivated guests as she took them on a journey to unusual wine regions, giving them the opportunity to experiment and discover new variations of classics. Who knew, for example, that a Rose could be gold coloured or that a Pinotage is exclusively produced in South Africa? Check out the pics below to get a feel for the fabulous night it was!

An early start as we prepare for the evening ahead

Magic hands, kneading away

Wrapping up the home-made ricotta in roast veg deliciousness Little details... (photograph courtesy of Fred Lam)

Last minute timing review - one guest described this as "German prescision"!

The table is set, and we're nearly ready... (photograph courtesy of Fred Lam)

The "Passport" we created for each guest included detailed tasting notes on each of the wines that were served as well as the menu we created to match with the wine - a nice little memento (photograph courtesy of Fred Lam)

The finishing touches (photograph courtesy of Fred Lam)

Elisa recaps her notes before guests arrive (photograph courtesy of Fred Lam)

Getting ready to lay out the home-made bread. A German seed load, French baguette and Italian focaccia (photograph courtesy of Fred Lam)

Cocktail preparation before our guests check in (photograph courtesy of Fred Lam)

After checking in, guests mingle and warm up in the "Sky Lounge" as the sun sets over Victoria Harbour

A Cubano daiquiri with fresh lime and home-made Columbian plantain chips topped with guacamole and shavings of black truffle set the tone for a sensational evening. Tip* if you cannot get black truffle a bit of truffle pate on top of freshly made guacamole is simply divine! (photograph courtesy of Fred Lam)

Our lovely guests engrossed in their "passports"

Elisa tells guests about this white wine from the Argentinian region of Torrontes

Our first course, a zingy Thai salad being plated

A David Thompson inspired spicy Thai salad with chargrilled seafood (photograph courtesy of Fred Lam)

Local seabass ceviche topped with zesty pomello segments, mini BBQ corn cobs and a salty homemade ricotta finished with paprika and lime (photograph courtesy of Fred Lam)

48 Hour - slow cooked mutton skewers marinated with coriander, ginger, chilli (photograph courtesy of Fred Lam)

Our guest, Silvia exploring her passport!

Plating the home-made ricotta & roast vegetable parcels

Icy- fresh, home-made rock melon granita enhanced with a French pineau to cleanse the palate ready to be served

Guests taking a breather

Chocolate & cardamom mouse, topped with home-made hazelnut praline served alongside home-made rosemary & honey ice-cream finished with a home-made berry jam

Finishing the meal with a selection of French cheese ....

Once Upon A Table with the Kitchen Nomads - what a great team we made! (photograph courtesy of Fred Lam)