Rosemary Chicken Fillet with Garlic Toast

Ingredients (for 4):

• Chicken steak - 330 g
• Rosemary - 4 sprigs
• Baguette - 8 pieces
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Spicy salt - 1 tsp
• Butter - 1 tsp
• Soy sauce - 2 tsp
• Corn starch - 1 tsp

Procedures:

1. Cut the chicken steak into the right size. Marinate the chicken steak with soy sauce and corn starch.

2. Heat the wok with butter, then saute the rosemary.

3. Add the chicken steak and pan-fry until golden brown.

4. Cut the baguette into slices, then bake in oven, pre-heated at 180 deg C.

5. Smear the toast with garlic and sprinkle with spicy salt.  

Baked Creamy Chicken Pasta

Ingredients (for 4):

• Chicken steak - 330 g
• Spaghetti - half pack
• Cream - 100 ml
• Chicken stock - 1 bowl
• Cheese - 2 tbsp
• Garlic - 4 cloves
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Black pepper finely - 1 tsp
• Soy sauce - 4 tsp
• Corn starch - 2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Peel the garlic and chop finely.

2. Boil a pot of water, then add 2 tsp of salt. Boil the spaghetti according to the package instruction. Remove the spaghetti and drip dry.

3. Cut the chicken steak into pieces, then marinate with black pepper, soy sauce and corn starch.

4. Mix the cream and chicken stock together.

5. Heat the wok with some oil, then add the garlic to saute.  

6. Add the chicken pieces and saute until golden.

7. Add the spaghetti to saute for a short while, then add the cream and chicken stock.

8. Remove the spaghetti and chicken pieces into a baking tray. Sprinkle with cheese.

9. Then put into oven, preheated at 200 deg C, and bake until the cheese is melted.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Flint

This restaurant is located in JW Marriott Hotel, and you have to go through the Executive Lounge, with a nice contemporary setting and decor offering comfort and warm environment. Seated a table facing the window, the staff smartly came back with a small stool for us to put our bags, demonstrating the impeccable services we experienced throughout the meal.

Interestingly the restaurant is only opened for lunch, with the menu including an appetizer and a main course. I chose Crab Meat Salad and Qwehli Sustainable Whole Dover Sole ($450) while my wife went for Soup Pot (clam chowder) and Iberico Pork Burger ($280). The salad was beautifully rendered, with the crab meat wonderfully seasoned to highlight the delicate flavors, and supplemented with grapefruit jelly and flesh which gave some acidity to freshen up the plate even further. The avocado puree and brown crab mayonnaise also provided a rich and creamy complements to the crab meat and salad. A truly nice salad and appetizer.

The Clam Chowder was served in a soup pot, of a big portion. With plenty of clam, potatoes and bacon, the soup was creamy and tasty. Although I did not sample it, the soup was certainly appealing and even made me tempted to order one just in addition to my salad. Maybe have to do it next time...

My main course was a whole sole, served with prawn-horseradish butter, Jerseys Royals and asparagus. Qwehli is a Paris company supplying seafood to renowned restaurants in the world, with a deep care to the planet so the seafood is caught in a sustainable manner. This sole was fairly large in size, very nicely done, pan-fried to perfection and the butter sauce enabled the delicate flavors of the fish to shine through. There were some asparagus and potatoes to accompany. I could use a bit more salt but overall it was still another great dish.

The main course for my wife was the pork burger. The pork was juicy and nicely grilled, and there was a chipotle mayo giving a hint of spiciness to the meat, with arugula instead of lettuce, a smart choice to pair the peppery notes with the pork. An apple compote was given on the side, along with some Old Bay fat chips. I had tried a bite and it was wonderfully done. Another reason for me to return to this restaurant.

Served also with coffee or tea, the total bill on the day was $902. It was a very reasonably priced restaurant and good value for money. I don't know the reason why they decided not to open for dinner, but if you are in Admiralty and looking for a nice place to have lunch with some good food, now there is one of good choices. 

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Hong Zhou Restaurant

This restaurant, as its name implies, specializes in Hangzhou cuisine. The decor is nice, with touches of Chinese calligraphy and arts on the walls. You can also see many photos of the celebrities visiting the restaurant throughout the years. Our table is spacious and even though quite close to the next ones we were quite comfortable during the whole meal.

For starters we ordered three appetizers. The first was Lotus Roots Stuffed with Glutinous Rice in Syrup ($70). This is one of the signatures of the restaurant, with the glutinous rice stuffed inside the holes in the lotus roots and prepared in the syrup. On the bite you can feel the chewy texture of the rice with the slight crunchy lotus roots, a nice texture contrast. The syrup had a bit of sweet osmanthus, making it fragrant yet not overly sweet. A nice one to begin our meal.

The second starter was Pig's Kidney Special Sauce ($80). The kidneys were cooked well to make it soft, which was unlike the Cantonese style which generally would make it more crunchy by blanching. The special sauce was something I could not figure out, having some spiciness but balanced with a hint of sweetness and saltiness. Overall an interesting taste but not my favorite.

The third starter was Wine-saturated Chicken ($118). A common dish available in all Shanghai and Hangzhou restaurants, this one had a generous portion of chicken, marinated in the Chinese yellow wine sufficiently to impart the aromas and flavors to the chicken. I found the bitterness of the wine was a bit too strong and while I was not sure whether this was supposed to be the original style I just found that to be less appealing.

We each ordered a soup, with my mother having Fish Balls Soup with Water Shield ($48), my wife having Mandarin Fish Soup with Assorted Vegetables ($48), while for me it was Hot and Sour Soup ($40). Many people knew the hot and soup soup was my favorite but unfortunately I found mine a bit disappointing as it was not spicy nor sour enough. Comparatively it seemed the other two soups were much better. Next time I would try those instead.

For the main dish we had the Sauteed Fresh Water Shrimps with Longjing Tea Leaves ($268). I never failed to be amazed by the labor to remove the shell of these small shrimps, and it would take a while to finish all the shrimps required to prepare this dish. The shrimps were cooked perfectly, keeping the delicate taste and each showing a beautiful orange pink color. My only comment was that the tea leaves were virtually non-existence and did not add any aroma or flavor to the shrimps.

The other main dish was Sauteed Pea Sprouts with Crab Roe ($298). I found this one another of my favorite in the evening, with a nice presentation of the crab roe in the middle and surrounded by the bright green pea sprouts. The vegetable was in season, young and tender, plus the great taste of the crab roe getting it to another level of enjoyment. I also thought this dish was very reasonably priced if comparing with other restaurants. A must-order in my opinion.

With two Steamed Flour Roll ($76) and a bowl of rice ($14), the total bill on the night was $1205. The service was decent without any surprise, and overall I recommend this restaurant to someone who wants to try some authentic Hangzhou cuisine. 

雞茸燕窩羹

Ingredients (for 4):

• Bird's nest - 28 g
• Chicken breast - 100 g
• Supreme broth - 2 cups
• Chinese ham - 2 tbsp
• Corn starch - 2 tbsp
• Water - 1/4 cup
• Supreme broth - 1/2 cup
• Corn starch - 2 tsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - dashes
• Sugar - dashes
• Salt - 1/8 tsp
• Sesame oil - 1/4 tsp
• Egg white - 1

Procedures:

1. Soak the bird's nest in water overnight, removing any feather or unclean objects. 

2. Put the bird's nest with the soaking water in a pot and heat using low level until the bird's nest becomes transparent. Then turn off the lid and cover with the lid until it cools down.

3. Mince the chicken breast.

4. Add corn starch, white pepper powder, sugar, salt, sesame oil and egg white to mix well. Then add the supreme broth to make the paste.

5. Heat the pot with supreme broth until it boils.

6. Add the bird's nest and Chinese ham finely. Retain some ham for decoration.

7. Remove the foam on the soup, then add gradually the corn starch mixed with water, stirring all the while, until it thickens.

8. Add the minced chicken paste. Continue to cook until the soup boils and the chicken is cooked.

9. Serve with some Chinese ham sparkled on top. 

貴妃雞翼

Ingredients (for 4):

• Chicken wings - 12
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Ginger - 20 g
• Shallot - 2
• Crystal sugar - 1 tbsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 1/2 cup
• Chicken stock - 1/2 cup
• Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
• Dark soy sauce - 1 tbsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 2 tsp
• Shiitake mushroom - 8
• Winter bamboo - 600 g
• Sugar - 2 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Spring onion - 4
• Sesame oil - 1 tsp

Procedures:

1. Soak the shiitake mushroom in warm water until softened, then remove the stem and cut into appropriate sizes. Keep the soaking water. 

2. Cut the ginger into slices. Cut the shallot into thick slices. Remove the heads and tails of the spring onion, then cut into 4cm sections.

3. Peel the winter bamboo and remove the bottom and tip. Then cut into appropriate sizes.

4. Marinate the chicken wings with soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Chinese yellow wine for at least 30 minutes.

5. Boil a pot of water and then add sugar and salt, then add in the winter bamboo. Cook for 5 minutes.

6. Remove the bamboo and cool under running water. Then dry by heating it on a clean wok.

7. Heat the wok on medium-high level, then add the oil and saute the ginger and shallot. 

8. When fragrant, push them to one side, then add the crystal sugar and continue to stir until they dissolve.

9. Add the chicken wings and continue to stir-fry until they are coated with colour. 

10. Add the shiitake mushroom and winter bamboo to continue to stir fry.

11. Pour in the Chinese yellow wine, then add the chicken stock and the soaking water. Stir well, then cover with lid to cook for 30 minutes.

12. Add the spring onion sections, stir well, then serve.