Tim's Kitchen at its new address

Many years ago I was introduced to Tim's Kitchen by an old family friend. At the time, Hong Kong was emerging from the last financial downturn. People were tightening their belts but didn't want to forgo good food and drink. Tim's Kitchen arguably opened at the right time - where great Cantonese classics were served in a humble (i.e. no need to pay for intrusive services at a glitzy location) if somewhat utilitarian set up in Sheung Wan.It received 2 Michelin Stars in 2009. Clearly, the ex-chef for the directors' dining room at Hang Seng bank was capable of satisfying the most demanding palettes.

Three weeks ago it opened shop in a new location (also in Sheung Wan). It is now much more spacious than before complete with several private dining rooms for those demanding discretion. The food was still very good. The Crystal Tiger Prawns (see below) were crunchy and tasty. The Crab Claw floating on a double-boiled stock glazed egg white was delicate and divine.

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Written On Skin at the Royal Opera

This was the first revival of George Benjamin's Written On Skin. As with contemporary operas, familiarity goes a long way in appreciating the work. In this revival, I found Christopher Purves's The Protector powerful and moving. Barbara Hannigan, who sang Agnès, was superb. The pure and slightly eerie tone of Iestyn Davies as The Boy completed the perfect cast.

Götterdämmerung at The Met

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Hänsel und Gretel at the Royal Opera

Having seen Hänsel und Gretel only a few months ago at Glyndebourne , I was looking forward to see how the Royal Opera will bring this fairytale opera to life. Christian Fenouillat pastoral set worked well. Like many operas with a small cast, he added a bounding box to reduce the size of the stage without losing perspective. Angelika Kirchschlager and Diana Damrau were believable Hänsel and Gretel respectively. Their stage acting (how they walked, jumped and cuddled) conveyed a real sense of innonance. Thomas Allen (their father) was on good form. The Dew Fairy (by Anita Watson) was fabulous with an orange duster and a yellow squirty spray cleaner. All in all, the creative team managed to strike a good balance between serious opera and fairytale. Colin Davis also did real justice to Humperdinck's lush Wagnerian score. It would be nice for this lovely work to remain in repertory around this time of the year to counter-balance the sickly sweek Nutcracker.

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