Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Rech by Alain Ducasse

This French seafood restaurant is located in InterContinental Hotel, where the former Spoon used to be. The restaurant is part of the Alain Ducasse family, modeled after the one in Paris which was founded in 1925 and reborn by Alain in 2007.

Facing the Victoria Harbour, many of the tables have the wonderful sea view. The seats are arranged so that both the customers can face the window to enjoy the view. The setting and fit-out is contemporary, cozy and offering a comfortable environment.

We decided to go for the Seafood Platter and then see how it goes, as recommended by Jason, our attentive and friendly server on the night. When it was served we couldn't stop to give a wow. There are simply a lot of seafood, including a total of 12 oysters, comprising of four different types: Gillardeau, Creuses Speciales, Fine de Claire and Plates de Belon. All the oysters are super fresh, tasty with good brine. I also ordered a glass of Laurent-Perrier Extra Brut champagne to pair.

The other layer of the seafood platter includes a crab, 4 langoustines, 6 pink shrimps, 6 hard clams, 2 clams, whelks, periwinkles and grey shrimps. Everything is so delicious, fresh, and sweet, truly and fully demonstrating the quality of the seafood. Among these my personal favorite is the whelks, they got a good bite but not rubbery, and the flavors are delightful. I had a glass of wonderful Chablis Fourchaume to pair.

Finishing the platter we are already nearly full, and so decided to just have the White Truffle Risotto for something warm, as it is the season for this exquisite delicacy. There are 2g of truffle in the risotto, and Jason helped to arrange that to be split among two portions for us. The aromas are so intense that we could smell it before it got served, and the risotto is creamy, with the right bite and overall a remarkable dish which again showed that the ingredients would always be the determining factor for a great dish.

A pity that by then we did not have room for any more main course, so instead we opted for some dessert. I went for the signature Roasted Figs with Cottage Cheese Sorbet while Ivy decided to try the XL Chocolate Eclair. The roasted figs are essentially thinly sliced fig pieces, roasted and then sprinkled with flakes and small redcurrants.

With the redcurrants giving good crispness, the dessert is not overly sweet, healthy and nice. But it was the cottage cheese sorbet that attracted me more. The taste is similar to frozen yogurt but having a softer and more 'liquid' texture. The chocolate eclair is equally tasty.

Apart from the food, beautiful view and nice setting, the other thing I gave a high mark for Rech is the customer service. Jason is very attentive, replacing our plates frequently when we were having the seafood platter so we won't get embarrassed by the amount of shells piling up. He also offered to show us how to use some of the tools for the seafood, and suggesting to change the serving plate to take away a layer when we finished the oysters so the tray is not so high to make us difficult to get the seafood while sitting. Doing all the works with big smile and courtesy, he is perfect in balancing the service while not overly intrusive to the customers. A big compliment to the restaurant and their training.

The sommelier is also very professional, after checking with me on the types of wine I prefer offered good recommendation to pair with the food. We have a really great evening. An important point to remember is that there is special discount offered to certain credit card so you should check it out before paying the bill, and I am able to get a 20% discount because of that. My bill on the night was $3,256 which is very reasonable considering the total experience and food quality. I would definitely come back again for their other dishes.