Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - East Ocean Restaurant

This restaurant is located in Tai Koo Place, Quarry Bay. Part of the East Ocean Gourmet Group which started in 1982, which operates five restaurants in HK, this one is specialized in Cantonese cuisine. Quite popular apparently from the nearly full-house seating on the night, the decor is decent, brightly lit and reasonably comfortable on the setting.

Seeing many people ordering the hairy crab menu, we decided not following suit as I am not a big fan of this fresh-water crustacean. Going for a la carte instead, we had the Stir-Fried Garoupa with Sugar Snap Pea. The taste is fairly good, with the fish seasoned delicately to allow its original flavors to get highlighted, while the snap pea are sweet and tender. A good start for our dinner.

Part of the 'two ways', the other garoupa dish was Steamed Garoupa Head and Belly with Dried Mandarin Peel. This one was not as good unfortunately, with the seasoning on the heavy side, a bit salty for us. The quality of the mandarin peel was also just mediocre, and could not bring forth the fragrance. A bit of a disappointment. The two dishes are priced at $288.

We also had the Braised Mutton in Traditional Casserole Style ($298). Served steaming hot and continued to be cooked on a stove, the mutton was decent in texture, though from the taste I found it was probably frozen and not fresh meat. The sauce was also falling short of expectation, without the rich fermented bean curd aroma or taste. This dish was overall also quite a let-down.

Not having the hairy crab but we ended up ordering a Stewed Tofu with Hairy Crab Meat ($138). This one in my opinion was the better of the dishes on the night, with the tofu soft, the crab meat and yolk quite tasty (even though the portion of them was a bit too little).

The other dish we had was Steamed Prawns with Garlic ($168). This would be easily one of the most common dishes for most seafood restaurants, and seldom can go wrong. And also as expected, the prawns are fresh. The garlic and soy sauce did pair well and was a perfect match for many seafood. A nice one.

To finish we also ordered the signature Steamed Birthday Bun ($22 each). Pretty big in size, it was steamed upon order to ensure the skin of the bun remained soft. The lotus paste fillings are not too sweet, and the salty egg yolk was dripping with oil. Even though we were full we managed to finish it all.

The service was reasonable for a traditional Cantonese restaurant but obviously got room for improvement. With the total bill at $1092 for three people, I would say the restaurant was decent, but not one I could recommend given there are plenty of other choices in town. 

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Nobu

This Japanese restaurant is located in the InterContinental Hong Kong, facing the Victoria Harbour and enjoying a wonderful view of the harbour and the buildings on the HK Island. The restaurant showcases Nobu Matsuhisa's innovative Japanese cuisine, inspired by his culinary life in Tokyo, Peru and Argentina.

Seated at the window side with a gorgeous view, my first impression however was in fact on the rather non-descript and simple furniture, with a simple circular wooden table and likewise basic chair, plus very rudimentary table setting. Maybe it was the design but it did not create much of an ambiance I would expect from the fame of the restaurant and the hotel itself.

Ordering the Winter Omakase ($1488 each), the first course was Sweet Shrimp with Sapporo Jelly, and Snow Crab with Lavender Sauce. The shrimp and jelly was very bland in taste and I did not appreciate much. The snow crab was more flavorful, with the melon and aioli providing the sweet and savory to accompany the delicate crab meat, and the lavender sauce giving further floral fragrance, making it interesting contrast which helped to rescue some of my faith on this restaurant right from the beginning.

The second course was sashimi but rendered in a contemporary style. Featuring Hokkaido ingredients, the Hooknose is a specialty in Otaru area and rich in taste. The Smoked Salmon wrapping Hokkaido Cheese was intense but well-balanced. And the Sea Urchin and Tuna was a great complement. I was very impressed by the quality of the sea urchin, not just very fresh but also having that sweetness and nice taste that only the best ones could offer. A great effort by the chef.

The third course was sushi in more traditional style, including a Tuna, Salmon, Horse Mackerel and Sea Urchin. Continuing the great taste I started with the sea urchin roll and again it was truly wonderful. The horse mackerel was also nice, without any fishy taste and showing again how fresh the fish had to be. Both the salmon and tuna were also good, but personally they were rather too 'commonplace' to arouse my interest and appetite. Still a nice assortment and got me keen to come for their sushi in future.

The fourth course was Seared Scallop, cooked perfectly to caramelize the outside while keeping it moist and soft on the interior. But in order to achieve that result the scallop could not be cooked for too long, and one might feel that it was not 'warm' enough. A trade-off to balance, nevertheless the taste was great and the condiments on top added the extra dimension on flavors to the dish.

The fifth course was Grilled Capelin, with the staff recommending us to squeeze some lime juice on before eating. The fish was grilled perfectly, giving a bit of crispness while not over-burning the skin. The whole fish could be eaten, sweet and the lime juice did bring out the freshness also. Another good dish on the night.

The sixth course was Grilled Wagyu Beef with Seasonable Vegetable. The beef got nice fat and oozing with fragrance, intense on the taste and the accompanying sesame sauce balanced the fattiness of the beef with a bit of acidity. For me, however, the vegetable was better in taste. Both the asparagus, shiitake mushroom and baby corn were all beautifully grilled, seasoned well with salt to highlight its original flavors.

The seventh course was Fish Soup with Salmon. The soup was rich and intense in taste, complex in flavors wit the leek giving a delicate fragrance on the background. On the other hand I thought it was a bit oily on the palate for me, and the salmon pieces were also a bit too fishy in taste cooked in such manner.

The eighth and last course was dessert, Cheese Tart and Apple Sorbet. The tart was great in taste, with the cream cheese rich and flavorful, balanced well with the light and slightly acidic apple sorbet. A good finale for the meal on the evening.

The service was decent though I would hope they did a more thorough job explaining the dishes to us. My biggest issue for Nobu was that the environment was just too noisy. Even though the tables were not exactly very close to each other but the noise from the other guests really making it uncomfortable. If I went to a Izakaya I probably would accept it but this is a high-end restaurant in a 5-star hotel. Probably a bit too much for me...

柿子蛋糕

Ingredients (for 4):

• Flour - 1 cup
• Permisson - 2 ripe ones
• Baking soda - 1 tsp
• Egg - 2
• Sugar - 1/8 cup
• Vegetable oil - 1/4 cup
• Mixed dried fruit - 1/2 cip
• Ground cinnamon - 1 tsp

Procedures:

1. Remove the stem of the permisson and then use a small spoon to scoop the meat out.

2. Add the baking soda and let it rest for 15 minutes.

3. Mix the sugar, eggs and vegetable oil together, and whisk until well-mixed.

4. Add the persimmon in. Continue to whisk.

5. Add the sieved flour and continue to whisk.

6. Add the dried fruit.

7. Coat the baking tray with butter and then dust with some flour.

8. Fold the mix, and then pour into the baking tray.

9. Bake in oven for one hour at 165 degree Celsius. 

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Tonkichi Tonkatsu Seafood

This Japanese restaurant is specialized in deep-fried pork cutlet and fillet, as well as other seafood. The outlet I went to this evening was located in World Trade Centre, Causeway Bay, but the restaurant did have other outlets in HK.

Having came here many times but this was my first review of this restaurant. The setting of the restaurant was comfortable, with a number of tables facing the window which had a good view of the harbour. Having made reservation and coming early we were fortunate to sit in one of them. 

We ordered two sets for our dinner, one being Deep-Fried Oysters and Pork Fillet ($302) and the other Deep-Fried Prawns and Scallops ($316). The staff arranged to have both sets put together in serving to make it easier to share after checking with us, a good practice in my opinion.

With an appealing golden brown colour, the batter was not oily at all, but flaky and light. I always rated Tonkichi as one of the best katsu restaurants in HK and tonight they did not fail me.

The pork fillet was tender and nicely seasoned, with the signature sesame katsu sauce enhancing the flavors even further. There were also mustard and sea salt as alternative dipping condiments. All the seafood were nicely done too, fresh and rich in taste, and cooked to the perfect degree, with the oysters moist inside and creamy, and the scallops soft and juicy. The tartare sauce was also great and a perfect complement.

With the shredded cabbage, rice, miso soup and pickles, the set offered a complete meal with also dessert (fruit). And you can even refill the cabbage and rice, so everyone could eat to full. While the bill ($680) might seem a bit high initally, considering the quality of the ingredients, service and environment, I would rate it as good value.

Thai Lettuce Wrap

Ingredients (for 4):

• Pork - 160 g
• Lettuce - 8 flaps
• Garlic - 4 cloves
• Lemongrass - 2
• Mint leaves - 2 sprigs
• Lime - 1
• Water- 1/2 bowl
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - 2/3 tsp
• Corn starch - 1 tsp

Procedures:

1. Wash the pork and drip dry. Then cut into small pieces. 

2. Marinate the pork with corn starch, salt and white pepper powder.

3. Wash the lettuce and peel off the leaves.

4. Peel the garlic and cut into slices.

5. Wash the lemongrass and cut into sections. 

6. Wash the mint leaves and chop finely.

7. Heat the pan with oil, then add in the garlic to cook until fragrant.

8. Add in the lemongrass and continue to cook for a short while. 

9. Add in the pork meat and continue to cook, adding some water to avoid having them mixed together. 

10. When the pork is dried and fully cooked, add in the mint leaves. Squeeze the lime juice in.

Pork Shank in Vinegar

Ingredients (for 4):

• Pork shank - 500 g
• Shallot - 4
• Sichuan pepper - 2 tbsp
• Star anise - 8
• Cinnamon stick - 1
• Ginger - 8 slices
• Water - 2 bowls
• Soy sauce - 6 tbsp
• Dark soy sauce - 4 tbsp
• Rock Sugar - 1 big piece
• Rice vinegar - 5 tbsp
• Rice wine - 3 tbsp
• Turnip - 1/2
• Rice vinegar - 5 tbsp
• Boiled water - 1 bowl
• Sugar - 5 tsp

Procedures:

1. Wash the turnip and peel, then cut into strips.

2. Mix the rice vinegar with boiled water, then add in the sugar. Marinate the turnip strips for 2 hours.

3. Peel the shallot and chop finely.

4. Peel the ginger and cut into slices.

5. Wash the pork shank and then blanch briefly in hot water. Remove and cut away the membrane.

6. Heat the pan and add a bit of oil, then add the shallot and ginger to cook.

7. When fragrant, add the water in as well as the herbs and other seasonings.

8. When it gets boiling, add the pork shank in and turn the heat to low. Continue to cook for 1.5 hours, ensuring the sauce can fully immerse the pork shank throughout, adding water if necessary.

9. Remove the pork shank from the pan, then cut into slices when it cooled down.