The following day Tersina Sheih put on the first Wine Music Jam at Orange Peel, a secret music bar that no one has ever heard of but definitely should.  It’s in the middle of LKF, but up, and had a big stage for live music.  Live music!

Tersina invited some wine companies in to sell their wines by the glass or bottle while amateur musicians took the stage.  Some better than others, on both the wine and music front, it was a really great way to get people interacting with local importers.  The wines were all priced below $50/glass making it affordable and convenient to try a wide range.  It brought in a pretty diverse crowd of both trade people and musicians and their friends and family, and Tersina tells me they got twice as many people as they expected!  I suspect part 2 is coming soon.   My favorite wine was a Chardonnay from South Africa.

Post music, my new Tinder friend and I (should I not say that in a public space? ha) hit up La Cabane for a totally satisfying & over the top delicious French dinner.  Fig glazed duck.  Steak tartare.  Polenta fries.  Polenta fries!

And totally rocking natural wine- 2011 Jean Yves Peron Mondeuse- tart, creamy, & long with ripe fruit and that natural wine olive flavor.  Also a Grenache/Syrah that was juicy, cloudy, and delicious.  La Cabane by far my favorite wine spot in HK.  There’s always something interesting and new to try, the staff and owners actually remember your name, and above all they are super passionate and enthusiastic about what they do.  Tis refreshing.  And, of course, polenta fries.

The following day Simon and Nadia somehow convinced me to go for a 10 am hike.  I scrambled out of bed at 10:15 and we cabbed it over to do a loop around dragon’s back.  As much as I didn’t want to leave bed I was so happy to have gone.  Despite being grey it was totally clear and the perfect weather for hiking.  10k dusted before lunch.

And as everyone knows, the best thing about hiking Dragon’s Back is the Thai food and beer after.  Fish, green curry, fried tofu, Tom Yum, salt and pepper squid, banana leaf pork bites of heaven, fried rice, the best garlic veg out there, spring rolls…

Post hike I Nicole came over and sipped on some tasty 2007 Semillon from the Hunter Valley with me.  I’ve never had much Semillon and am totally intrigued by it as no one’s really heard of it (in a commercial aspect at least) yet it has this cult like following in Australia.  I’m making it my personal mission to drink as much as I can get my hands on this year.

The one I had with Nicole, of which I don’t remember the name, wasn’t great.  It tasted cheap, and by that I guess I mean kind of chemically & confected.  To be fair it was cheap.  Luckily Betsy brought me a bottle from Northeast.  I’ll give that a go this week.

    And to leave on a random note, how cute is Sai Ying Pun?  That’s my new wet market where there’s the best organic veg guy, a great pumpkin lady, and it’s right across from my new coffee shop (name??) where I meet Raj for Saturday am coffees.  I love this hood.