Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Cafe Gray Deluxe

This restaurant is located on the top floor of The Upper House, a hip luxury designer hotel in Admiralty. Arriving on the 49th floor, the first impression I got was that it was a real high-end restaurant, from the interior designs, the setup and more importantly, the amazing views looking out the window. One can see across the harbour, at ICC and the western Kowloon area, and in the evening that alone was probably worth coming over.

But of course we need to have good food in order to qualify for a good restaurant. And on the night we ordered the Market Menu, which has four courses. To begin the cold appetizer is Yellowtail Crudo, Chilled Tomato Consomme, with Lavender and Basil. The fish is nice and fresh, with the tomato having good acidity to pair well with the fish to highlight its freshness and supplement well on the delicate taste. The consomme added an extra dimension with the herbs enhancing the flavors but not overpowering. A good start for our dinner.

The second course is Poached Lobster Tail in XO Butter with Haricot Vert and Edamame. The hot appetizer has a rich texture, aromatic with a creamy sauce that matches perfectly with the green soybeans and green beans. The lobster tail is fleshy, cooked beautifully and having great flavors. My only comment for this dish was that it was quite salty, both in the seasoning of the edamame and the XO butter. Tuning down that a bit more would make the dish even better, but overall not a bad one.

There are two choices of the main course, one being Seared Skate Wing, Saffron Emulsion, Charred Eggplant, Olives and Bergamot, and the other being Roasted Rack of Lamb, Cauliflower and Water Chestnuts, with Dried Chilies and Cumin. My wife opted for the fish while I went for the lamb. I tried a bite of the fish, and that immediately reminded me of the same type of fish I had once in a high-end Korean restaurant in Seoul, albeit less exotic, but still quite difficult to be well-liked given the strong ammonia taste. I guess that is the intention all along? My wife frankly hate that and it was a miracle she finished it, probably doesn't want to embarrass anyone.

The lamb is much more 'normal' from that perspective, though I would not say it was in any way impressive. The lamb was roasted to medium level, with a bit of fat on the skin. The use of cumin in my opinion is a bit dangerous as it can easily hijack all the attention on the flavors, but I imagine the chef is trying to prepare the lamb in a fusion manner incorporating some Chinese elements, that you might find the skewers in the northern part of the country. My comments on the two main courses would be a bit disappointing however.

For dessert it is Ginger Flan, with Crystallized Ginger, Longan and Lemon Madeleines. The ginger flan is quite good, of the right sweetness level, with a delicate ginger note and a bit of 'kick' on the spice. Coupled with the longan, the fruit provided a light refreshing taste to the richness, and the ginger sorbet served well to balance the dessert and clean the palate. On the side there are two pieces of lemon madeleines which are also good, spongy in texture and again of right sweetness.

Service overall was quite good, though I would expect in this type of restaurant whenever the food is served the staff should explain what we are having and check in with us along the way to adjust coming dishes if necessary. With a bottle of water, a cup of double espresso, the bill on the night was $1,854 for two persons. Not exactly very good value dinner frankly.

My overall rating is 58/100.