Saturday, July 24, 2010

指鹿為馬, claiming a horse as deer, Peking Garden Taikooshing, HK

2 days ago, I visited this Maxim's outlet and ordered this one 四季豆 (directly translated as 4 season peas). When it was served on the table, I immediately noticed it's 豆角 (string beans). Though it's not bad, I called the captain and hope he would rectify this when the customer ordered it if the proper ones are not in season and replaced by some others. The captain replied "if you don't like this, I can cancel it, but it's definitely 4 season peas!". If he didn't say the last few words, I wouldn't be so irritated. I think at least 7-8 tables around me heard me yelling at him for his "claiming a horse as deer". This captain was so stupid. The whole thing is very minor and I just tenderly reminded him about this and I insisted not on wasting the food. He didn't get the point. Now it turned out I just wrote a serious complaint about his incorrect statement to the HK Consumer council. OK, anyone who is a regular visitor in food market should know string beans are longer (about 16-20 inches long) and thinner. The beans inside are narrower and grown in a distance of around 2cm to each other. Most of all, string beans has a strong "grass" smell. 4 season beans are fatter and shorter (about 6-8 inches) with 2 ends rounder. The peas inside is thicker and rounder too (texture-wise, it's more condensed and tighter). The peel is even thicker. It tastes sweeter than string beans and less "grass" smell. That's why the common cooking for 4 season beans is "dry pan fried 干煸". I think at another time in Crystal Jade Siam Paragon, I also brought up my concern for their using string beans to be claimed as "honey beans". However, at least that time Crystal Jade admitted they didn't have honey beans due to season. So this is comprehendible and this is the point.

Anyway, a 2nd thing going wrong in Peking Garden that night was the rice. They mixed the old cooked rice into the newly cooked rice too early. That resulted in the old rice being too wet and mashy. The Chef should put the old rice into the new rice when the new rice was well done, not at the time when the new rice was still being cooked with boiling water bubbling. I called another older captain for rectifying what went wrong with their rice, and further complained on that captain misleading statement on this bean.

8 comments:

Paranoid Android said...

Oh Dear. They tried to fleece Sky? LOL. They could have pulled the stunt on me. I wouldn't have known the difference at all. :p

Anyway, I copied and pasted the 四季豆 into google image and now I know the difference. As usual, thanks.

Mickey Mouse said...

hahaha Android u r a real google user, Stella shall learn this too

Sea, a little lucky here, i always hv both longer string beans and shorter 4-season green beans in Foodland

u did the right thing to complain in written, it is not about the beans, but that captain's attitude, quality in service industries drop gradually since 1997; now HK is more connected to the motherland!

in the sea said...

Of course we can get any type of beans in the market. That captain can't tell black as white. It's a very minor thing but then turned out a big unhappy thing for the dinner.

Mmh... I can't say it dropped. One rice feeds thousand people.

Stella said...

Thank you for the bean lesson today.
I think in LA they really mixed up these two in all restaurants.

in the sea said...

The string beans in Thailand are very special. They don't have such a strong "grass" smell and can be eaten raw. :)

Stella said...

I just confirmed in LA we are only served string beans in the restaurant while they called "4 season beans".
Same mistake like your restaurant here.

in the sea said...

But the point is when I tried to rectify it, they still insisted in such an impolite way. Even though I as a customer made a mistake, they shouldn't have spoken in such a manner. Very stupid.

Anonymous said...

You are right SEA. It is more of their attitude than the bean part that is irritating.

SS