Many places of the world share their cultures, cuisines and artistic talents with us here in Hong Kong. We revelled in Irish March in our restaurants, bars as well as over a lovely tram ride earlier in the year. And most recently, throughout April - for the fourth year in a row - we saw the rich highlights of The Kingdom of the Netherlands featured around town.

Most often referred to as Holland, much of the country is bordered by the North Sea. It is known for its endless sandy beaches, with protective dykes and dunes, as well as its windmills and tulips, to say nothing of the extraordinary talents of its artists, particularly those from the country's 17th-century "Golden Age" such as Adert de Gelder and Jan de Brat. Who could fail to admire the talent of Dirck Hals, perfectly depicted in his Gentlemen Smoking and Playing Backgammon, or the prolific works of Vincent Van Gogh?

Delftware - the famous blue and white tin-glazed pottery - was on show as part of the Dutch Days exposition. Dutch food dishes were showcased too, with special menus at Brasserie on the Eighth in the Conrad Hotel, and also in the concept store Van Gogh Senses at 1881 Heritage in Tsim Sha Tsui. The art-themed concept store was created by shipping entrepreneur Reynold Li, liberally supported by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. It aims to present the work of Van Gogh to the masses with a selection of cakes, coffee and fine dining plates inspired by the artist's work.

Pieter Onderwater founded the famous Orange Tree restaurant in the heart of Lan Kwai Fong. I remember it well from back in the 1990s. This was where the then fledgling Wine Writers Circle held many of its meetings and enjoyed the convenience of eating delicious food afterwards.

These days at Orange Tree the menu features many of the Netherlands' prime dishes - the famous black mussels from Zeeland, classic steaks, fish and even kroket/frikandel and tiramisu with stroopwafels! The roasted North Sea cod loin in saffron sauce is super-tasty.

And of course there are everyone's prime favorites such as bitter ballen, a type of Dutch meatball. I've even enjoyed these - by special request - at the Iron Fairies bar and restaurant in Central. Hey, you never know until you ask!

At Orange Tree there are numerous palate teasers including mini beef croquettes, dijon mustard frikandels, North Sea shrimps, grilled squid, matjes herring, Amsterdam onions, gherkins and apple wood smoked eel fillets amongst other culinary delights. And that's before you even reach for the "main" dishes.

For carnivores, there's lamb fillets and eggplant baked in puff pastry or perhaps steak tartare "Orange-Tree style", roasted organic chicken, sauted mushrooms, caramelized carrots, thyme, or oven-roasted lamb shanks. Everyone is a winner.

Speaking of winners and bringing a touch of the Netherlands even closer to Hong Kong, the background music featured in the television broadcasts of Hong Kong Jockey Club's Mark Six draws is a version of "Inkpot", a song written by the Dutch rock band Shocking Blue from the Hague.

(HK Edition 05/04/2018 page10)