La fille du regiment at the Royal Opera

I went to see the revival of La fille du régiment at the Royal Opera. It was as good as I saw it last time. There were a few tweaks to the production but the two big stars - Juan Diego Flórez and Natalie Dessay were splendid once again!

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Bar Shu, London

After La Belle Hélène at the ENO, we found ourselves in a new Sichuanese restaurant in Soho (north of Shaftesbury Avenue so technically not China Town). The deco is authentically Chinese but a bit cramped. Lots of small wooden tables. We were shown downstairs in a small basement room. I ordered Dan Dan noodles, beef in a spicy soupy sauce and smoked chicken slices. The "heatiness" or "spicyness" was very authentic, comparable to what I have tasted in Shanghai. What was enjoyable? Authentic Sichuanese food authenticated by mainland Chinese customers. What was not enjoyable? Wrong kind of noise - the staff did through the crockery and cutlery about, noisy customers (may be because of the small room) and not an enthusiastic service. A review of this restaurant can be found on FT.com

Square One, Park Hyatt Saigon

OK - if you want to go somewhere sleek in Saigon - Square One will pretty much fit the bill. Rather than just one open kitchen (a la Caprice at the Four Seasons in Hong Kong), there are SEVEN! Each focusing on a particular cooking technique (grilling, baking, steaming, etc.). The decor is comfortable (armrests of armchairs too high) and the Vietnamese food is actually good and well presented. What was enjoyable? Pho Beef Soup with rice vermicelli - nice clear stock, flavourful. What was not enjoyable? Trying too hard perhaps? Everything is just a bit out of place - you could be any where - New York, London, Hong Kong ...

Buddha Jumps Over The Wall (佛跳墻) at Tim's Kitchen

There are many interpretations of "Buddha Jumps Over The Wall" - but here is a rare opportunity to sample this sumptuous dish at Tim's Kitchen last night. It arrives in a beautiful white-and-blue porcelain bowl. Here is the first "eat" - a demi-cuit pigeon egg with rehydrated abalone in a supreme chicken broth. Fish maw appears in the second "eat". I have to confess I forgot about what fish maw tasted like and it was a very strange sensation to be re-acquainted with it. De-boned goose-web, pig's knuckle tendon and sea cucumber forms the third "eat". And the soup ingredients were presented on a plate - black chicken with lean Jin Hua（金華） ham. This is undoubtedly a sumptuous and luxurious dish - using highly priced ingredients. And I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to experience it again. One could not help but wonder whether a top notch chef such as Tim could concoct the same dish with ...

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