Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Aqua

This contemporary restaurant is located in One Peking, at the top floors of the building, with a really fantastic view looking across the Victoria Harbour. Being a very popular place for locals and tourists, one must make reservations in advance. The restaurant has a row of small tables along the window, which can accommodate two persons. And that view itself is certainly the highlight of the whole meal.

We ordered the Italian tasting menu, prepared by the Italian chef Davide Borin. The first course is Quinoa Salad with Crab, Avocado and Cucumber. The thin slices of cucumber are fresh, with a few fish roes on top to provide a nice salty taste, which is in good harmony with the crab meat and the avocado. The quinoa added a chewy bite to the salad, with a plum tomato on top to supplement the color and flavors. A nice starter indeed.

The second course is Calamarata Pasta 'Liguori', with Mediterranean Mussels, Wild Clams, Datterino and Shrimps. The pasta is home-made, with a great texture and the sauce was very well-prepared, with the tomato and seafood sauce giving an intense palate. The seafood are generally quite good too, where we can readily taste the original flavors of the mussels and clams. The portion is adjusted down allowing us the room to taste the other dishes.

The third course has a choice of fish or beef, with me choosing the Wild Caught Sea Bass with Red Prawn, Semolina Gnocco and Smooth Clams Sauce. The fish is pan-fried nicely, with the skin crispy while the flesh tender, and I particularly like the clams sauce, with a very rich flavors which complements perfectly with the fish. On the other hand, the red prawn was a bit disappointing, with the flesh a bit mushy and giving me the impression that it was not fresh at all. The gnocco got a nice cheese notes, though its size is a bit too big even for a guy like me.

The final course is Visciolata Cheese Cake, with Fresh Cherry Sorbet, Preserve and Amarena Syrup. Beautifully decorated, however the size is honestly quite daunting as by the time we were quite full. The cake is rich with nice sweetness balanced well with the acidity of the cherry jelly on top, and the bottom layer of crust giving a nice contrast in texture too. The sorbet further helps to bring freshness and tartness to the dessert. The preserved cherry pieces also are a good thought to provide a bit of chewy to the overall sensation.

Maybe because we were so distracted by the constant group of people moving to my side to take photos of the nice view, there were not a lot of comfort that I get out from the ambiance. Also, the restaurant is busy and each table is just too close to one another for any sort of privacy. But still the signature HK harbour view is worth a million and nothing can surpass that.

The bill on the night was $2,577 including two sets of the tasting menu, a bottle of still water and a cup of coffee. Quite expensive but again not a surprise considering the view we have throughout the meal.

My overall rating is 68/100.