HK’s Best Secret Drinks – Part 1: BARSMITH

WELCOME to a special BBITES series 🙂 I’m going to be taking you through three different bars in Hong Kong featuring secret drinks that are off-menu.

Part 1 is about the place you don’t know yet: BARSMITH

Part 2 will be about a bar you do know, featuring off-menu treats

AND

Part 3 will be an EPIC SURPRISE

So get ready to ‘get in the know’ and sip it up, Bakker’s Bites style…

Barsmith is located at 4/F, 60 Wellington Street, Central.

I first went to Barsmith with some friends, and while the bar is still in its soft-opening phase, I can’t help but share with all of you how AWESOME this bar is.

A little bit hidden, Barsmith is the perfect place to escape LKF while being in the heart of the action.The concept behind Barsmith is that while there’s a menu, the emphasis is on building a relationship with the bartenders who will create drinks based on your personality and preferences.When I arrived for my tasting I was guided through two amazing cocktails prepared by mixologist Miyake Ayako from Japan.

Asking for something a bit on the fresh and sweet side, Ayako suggested a Japanese peach-based cocktail, since it was in season. I asked what would be in the drink, and she basically said, “Leave it to me.” And, boy am I glad I did!The first thing Ayako did was whip out a blender and start to purée fresh Japanese peach. Things were off to a good start.Next came the selection of different liqueurs and ingredients, and I watched patiently while she put together a combination of peach creams, celery bitters, whiskey and sea salt.The balance was incredible. A smooth, smoothie-like texture caressed the palate while the whisky was cut by sweet peach. Meanwhile, in case things got a little too sugary, sea salt added the perfect sobering note.

Impressed, I wondered what to order next and asked Ayako to ‘surprise me’. As we chatted a little, I learned that the Japanese jeans brand Evisu was downstairs and had some kind of affiliation with the bar re: its owner/investors or something along those lines.

With that in mind, she declared the next drink would be called “The Evisu” and decided to finish things up with a dessert-inspired cocktail.As you can see from the ingredients, this drink was all decadence. The highlight for me was sampling the Benedictine liqueur which tasted like honey syrup: pretty much a nectar for the gods.Resulting in a tiramisu-esque concoction, the rich texture and creative flavours were unlike anything I’d tried before: and that’s the point.

Creating custom, unique cocktails with their customers is why I’m so excited about Barsmith.

While other bars do this occasionally (and usually with much persuasion), Barsmith specialises in tailored drinks: my kind of heaven.So are you ready to enjoy? I know I am…

Thanks for reading, and  stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 😉 !

Bakker x

 

#BBITESBEAUTY x Nails Time

#BBITESBEAUTY x Nails Time
– WHEN FOOD AND FASHION COLLIDE – 

Welcome to my first #BBITESBEAUTY post!

In this tutorial, I’ll be showing you the super-easy way to turn your nails into delicious works of art. But first, let’s ogle the finished result 🙂

– THE FINAL LOOK –

As you can see, I went for a BBITES/food theme – including lollipops, dessert bowls, candy wrappers and more…

-TUTORIAL –

Repeat these steps for your other nails!! Try balancing them out by having bigger designs on your thumb and fourth finger…

And last but not least, ENJOY your new designs! Bakker x

Bakker’s Bites – 2nd Birthday!

Today, Bakker’s Bites turns TWO years old! Who knew time would fly so fast…

A lot has happened in the last year for BBITES: a lot of ‘firsts’, including my first invites to blogger events, and more readers than ever!

Last year, I published the Bakker’s Bites 1st Birthday Photo Shoot, and since then I’ve decided to make a birthday photo shoot for my blog an annual tradition.

With the help and talents of friends, my vision has come to life and I’m very proud to share Bakker’s Bites 2nd Birthday Photo Shoot with you, right now!

Keep reading for behind-the-scenes photos, video and food-bios on the team who helped me create these shots…My original concept for the shoot was a Vanity Fair-esque shot, with myself and models wearing a variety of props and glamorous outfits.

The idea evolved into a shot where the models would be animals (wearing animal hats) and I would be the taster (with a giant fork).At first, I thought I’d be able to buy the hats ready-made from Wan Chai Toy Market, or Pottinger Street… but in the end I couldn’t find anything that I liked.

It was a setback, but the ultimate decision to create the hats myself, from scratch, turned out to be the best decision I could have made!

One trip to the Art Supplies Professional store in Mong Kok, and over 5 hours of assembling by hand later, my four animal hats (fish, lobster, cow and chicken) and extra props (lips, giant fork and vegetables) were complete! The day of the photo shoot was a blast! I brought cupcakes, snacks, vino and music to keep everyone entertained, and inbetween shooting we simply had fun!Our team was made up of four models (Janine, Michelle, Leonard and Natalie) as well as one stylist (Raven Tao) and of course, a photographer (Earl Wan).The shooting location was the studio of a local Hong Kong painter (Simon Birch), who kindly let us use his space, which was perfect for the concept!Before signing out, I’d like to introduce the AMAZING and team (and friends), who I couldn’t have done this without… Thank you all so much!

Earl Wan
Photographer
www.earlwan.com

Q: Your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: Right now, I’m dying for a Shepherd’s Pie.

Q: Butter or olive oil?
A: Olive Oil.

Q: One funny food fact that you know?
A: Apparently sweet potatoes’ nutritional value is 20x higher than your average veg. Also, it makes you fart a lot.

Raven Tao
Stylist – using items from Pearls & Arsenic
www.raventao.com
www.pearlsandarsenic.com

Q: Ingredient you hate the most?
A: Wasabi!!!!!!!!!!!

Q: Your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: Poached salmon on a bed of baby spinach, covered in golden caviar and followed by Amadei Chuao chocolate.

Q: Butter or olive oil?
A: Butter. As much as possible please!

Natalie
Model – Lobster

Q: Favourite restaurant in HK?
A: A toss up between Liberty Private Works (French private kitchen) and Yard Bird.

Q: Favourite cooking style?
A: Baked. Logistically very easy, and everything that is baked is scrumptious. Pizza brownies, etc.

Q: Ingredient you hate the most?
A: Cinnamon.

Janine
Model – Cow

Q: One funny food fact that you know?
A: Tomato is a fruit.

Q: Last meal on earth, what would it be? 
A: Red Wine. For starters: freshly baked warm bread with butter and home-made strawberry jam, and a cheese/cold cuts platter. Main course: spinach ravioli in cream sauce and the biggest, juiciest steak you can find, smothered in garlic. Dessert: malva pudding with custard and vanilla ice cream.

Q: Butter or olive oil?
A: Butter.

Michelle
Model – Chicken

Q: Ingredient you hate the most?
A: Gluten (but only because I’m intolerant)

Q: Last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: Everything with gluten… haha!

Q: One funny food fact you know?
A: Ginger is a great digetsive aid, painkiller and anti-inflammatory that can also prevent motion-sickness.

Leonard
Model – Fish

Q: Favourite style of cooking?
A: So hard to choose but I’d have to say oven-roasted.

Q: Last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: One made with love.

Q: Ingredient you hate the most?
A: Capsicum – used in Sichuan dishes – can’t stand them! Or black pepper.

 

The final pics have been used to update the banner on www.bakkersbites.com as well as my blog’s official facebook page and twitter – every year will have a new look!

I hope you’ve all enjoyed this foodie fashion shoot. Thank you for reading my blog for these two years, and I hope you keep coming back to ‘BBITE’ into more 🙂

Please check out the MAKING-OF video here:

x Bakker