Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Frantzen's Kitchen

This Nordic restaurant is located in Sheung Wan, with the menu created by the famous chef Bjorn Frantzen and Jim Lofdahl. Not exactly in a convenient location, the restaurant however did have good patronage and on the night it was fully occupied, already a good sign showing the quality of its food. Arriving early, we were among the first group of customers and the staff warmly welcomed us and introduced us to the menu and the signature dishes.

The restaurant was having a nice contemporary design with cozy ambiance. There is a bar counter which the customers could interact intimately with the staff while eating. At the same time there were a number of tables providing a more traditional dining experience, and we were seated in one of them. Even though the table was not large and the seats not exactly very comfortable, the overall environment was rather nice and relaxing.

We ordered the tasting menu ($1100), with me also going for the Avant-Garde wine pairing ($1100). The tasting menu had incorporated the different signature dishes and would be a good choice. The first course is Bone Marrow, with caviar, a layer of chestnut mousse and thyme sauce. The mousse is rich and tasty, with strong chestnut flavors which complements well with the thyme extracts. The pieces of bone marrow was underneath and provided a nice bite and contrast to the mousse.

The second course was French Toast, which has winter truffle on top, with the middle layer being the onion shreds and wrapped in a crunchy outer toast, with some Balsamic vinegar on the side to enhance the flavors. There is also an aged cheese and truffle tea paired, best to drink in between bites, which really highlights the ingredients and taste to another level. Really wonderful appetizers. The wine paired for the two was Andre Clouet Grand Cru Rose No. 3 NV.

Next came the starters, with the first being Seven Gardens. It was the fresh organic vegetable salad coming from seven local farms and prepared in eight different cooking techniques, then added with puffed buckwheat, crispy fish scales and Sancho butter. I really like this as each individual vegetable can showcase the original and rich flavors of the ingredient, and the different style of cooking was truly amazing, offering contrast in texture and enjoyment. The wine paired was also interesting, the 2016 Sato 'L'atypique' 22 days on skins' Pinot Gris from Avalon Vineyards in Central Otago.

Then came the Cold-Poached Blue-Lobster, with tomato and peach 'ceviche', black pepper, mint and herbs. The lobster was fresh and beautifully seasoned, demonstrating a nice original delicate taste which was so nicely paired with the tomato and peach, with its sour and sweet note balancing and complementing greatly to the flavors. The herbs and the water infused further elevated the dish to a greater level. The wine paired was the 2016 Daily Riesling Selection from A. J. Adam from Mosel.

The last starter was Veloute, a kind of savory sauce / soup made with white onion, liquorice and smoked Marcona almonds. It was rich and concentrated, with the almond note permeating throughout, supplemented with the onion flavors. The liquorice element was rather light however, and if not showing on the menu it was not readily discernible. Nevertheless it was another great one and serving as a nice transition before we start our main courses.

The first main course was Oven Baked Turbot, with blue mussel veloute, seaweed and lemon butter, dill. This is another of my favorite in the evening, with the fish very tender and having a great taste, and it was really flavorful with the seaweed and lemon butter perfectly complementing. The blue mussels were also spectacular. Honestly I haven't had such pleasure in tasting the true and original flavors for a long while. The wine paired was Chateau Musar white from Lebanon.

Then it was the Sorbet to cleanse the palate. With yuzu, fennel and Sancho pepper, it was not the typical sorbet but again emphasizing the different ingredients and flavors. Functionally it helped to clean our mouth so we would be ready for the meat but on its own it could be offered as a great dessert too in my opinion.

The second main course was Venison, with fermented parsnip puree, blue berries, thyme and orange peel. The venison was cooked beautifully, tender and juicy. The puree was creamy and a great addition to the meat, with the blue berries and orange peel nicely providing sweetness and some bitterness to enhance the flavors as well. The wine paired was 2016 Ridge 'Geyserville' Field Blend from California.

The last course was Toasted Pine Nut Ice Cream, with whipped malted rice tea, puffed rice and chestnut honey. Paired well with 2016 Peller Estates Vidal Blanc Icewine from Canada, the dessert was appropriate in sweetness, and the interesting puffed rice giving a crunchy element to the palate. The pine nut taste was rich in the ice cream, and it was a great harmony of the different elements and a good completion to a wonderful meal.

In terms of flavors, this meal was one of the best for a long while, and I was so impressed with how the chef took good quality ingredients and with the great cooking skills and techniques emphasizing each individual components to such extent. The wine pairing was also fantastic, with the choice of wines wonderfully complementary and matched with the food, good in taste and also highly interesting. The service also was great with each dish meticulously explained to us.

Overall I would say this restaurant well deserved a Michelin status. The bill on the night was $3817 which was reasonable considering the overall enjoyment and how everything was so nicely put together. I really recommend this restaurant to all the foodie in town.