Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Hon 10

Last week I went to the adjacent dim sum restaurant and this week, I revisited Pacific Place but going to Hon 10, the Japanese restaurant. With an interesting entrance featuring a bar, at first glace you might be mistaken it to be a western style eatery, with the only hint being the noren, the traditional Japanese fabric dividers hanging in front of the entrance. 

Walking in one would see a contemporary decor and setting, with a sushi bar followed by a dining area at the back. There are some nice details on the ceiling with the wooden strips and lighting creating a cozy and warm ambiance. With reservation we were seated at the end, having nice privacy and generally the atmosphere is fairly decent and pleasant.

We decided to order the Omakase Menu ($1280). First comes the appetizer. On the left there are two large pieces of Chestnut. Not sure how they are prepared, the in-season chestnut is sweet and tasty. On the right are Monkfish Liver, which are steamed and marinated. Not bad, but also not impressive. I also think the liver is not creamy enough.

Then it was the sashimi. On the left is Largehead Hairtail, or Beltfish. The texture is very chewy, much more than what I had experienced before in other restaurants. Not sure it was due to the skin but frankly it was just too hard to chew. The middle is Tuna, or Toro. They are also not the best, with some 'residue' after chewing, and the flavors are not intense enough. On the right is Yellowtail Belly, delicate in taste and having a more crunchy texture. Overall a bit disappointing in terms of quality.

Next was Grilled Splendid Alfonsino, or Kinmedai. This dish helps to rescue some marks in my review, with the fish marinated well and grilled nicely, tasty and with the slight charred skin providing additional flavors from the burnt fish oil. One of my favorite dishes in the evening. 

The deep-fried dish is tempura, featuring four types of vegetable including Gingko, Green Chili, Fig and Shimeji Mushrooms. The vegetables are generally quite good, and the batter fairly light and fluffy. However, the technique in deep-frying might be a bit mediocre, as evidenced by the oiliness you can see on the sheet underneath. Still overall this one on the taste itself was quite nice.

Then came the Grilled Kyushu A4 Wagyu Sirloin. Probably meant to be the highlight in the menu, I have to declare that beef was not my favorite, in particular the fatty wagyu. This one is quite well executed, though a bit over-seasoned, with the beef juicy and intense on flavors. The garlic slices are crispy and further adding to the enjoyment. Reinforcing the seasonality there is also a chestnut on the side. Not bad. 

The assorted sushi has five pieces, including Sea Urchin, Fish Roes, Botan Shrimp, Yellowtail and Tuna. I found the repeat of what we have eaten in the sashimi a bit surprising, as I have generally not recalled the restaurants I visited ever did that. Overall all of the sushi are decent, with only the fish roes a bit salty. Probably I was spoiled with all the nice Japanese restaurants I visited, this still would not be qualified as bad, though rather lackluster. 

The Fish Soup is maybe the biggest pleasant surprise in the evening. Steaming hot, the soup has a nice rich flavors, very concentrated yet not overbearingly fishy. Personally I would prefer the bean curd to be cut a bit bigger, so they are visually and texture-wise more appealing. But otherwise the soup is very sweet and flavorful, demonstrating how critical it is to do everything right, even the one most customers paying the least attention. 

The dessert is Wagashi, or traditional Japanese sweets. Made to resemble a tiny persimmon, it is not overly sweet, with a chewy outer dough wrapping the bean paste inside. My only comment is that it looks just a bit too minuscule, and probably it would look more appealing if there are a couple of such desserts to finish the meal. 

The service is decent, but apart from the first couple of dishes where the staff came to explain to us, for the rest of them they did not bother. 

The bill was $2,816 and frankly considering the ingredients, quality, portion and other factors there are many other restaurants that perform better. Maybe it is better to order other things on menu? I don't know, but I guess I won't find it out...

Wineshark Cooking Class - Fried Water Bamboo with Top Soy Sauce

Ingredients (for 4):

• Water bamboo - 6
• Oil - 2 cups
• Top soy sauce - 2 tbsp
• Dark soy sauce - 1/2 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tbsp
• Garlic - 2 cloves, smashed
• Salt - dashes
• Sesame oil - 1 tsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Remove the green skin of the water bamboo, then cut them into big pieces.

2. Heat the oil in wok, then put in half of the water bamboo. Fry until the skin turns wrinkled and slightly yellow. Remove on sieve to drip off the excess oil. Then repeat for the rest of water bamboo.

3. Heat the wok with some oil and then add in the garlic. Once fragrant remove the garlic and add the sugar to stir-fry for a while.

4. Add the top soy sauce and dark soy sauce.

5. Add the water bamboo in and stir well to coat each with the soy sauce.

6. Season with salt and sugar, then sprinkle with Chinese yellow wine and then sesame oil before serving.

Wineshark Cooking Class - Stir-fried Duck Fillet with Yellow Ear and Elm Fungus

Ingredients (for 4):

• Duck breast - 2
• Water - 2 tbsp
• Egg white - 1 tbsp
• Yellow ear - 30 g
• Elm fungus - 30 g
• Chicken broth - 1 cup
• Snow peas - 16 pieces
• Ginger - 1 piece, cut into slices
• Garlic - 4 cloves, smashed
• Oil - 2 tsp + 1 cup
• Carrot - 1/2, cut into slices
• Salt - dashes
• Sugar - dashes
• Chinese yellow wine - 1 tsp
• Sesame oil - 1 tsp

Marinating sauce for duck fillet:

• Oyster sauce - 2 tsp
• Soy sauce - 2 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Sesame oil - 1 tsp
• Corn starch - 1 tsp

Procedures:

1. Defrost the duck breast and remove the skin, fat and tendon. 

2. Cut the duck breast along the fibre into big pieces, then cut in the different direction into smaller pieces about 0.3 cm thick.

3. Soak the duck fillet with water, first adding one tablespoon, then the rest after the duck fillet has fully absorbed. Add the egg white in and mix well. Let it rest for two hours. Then add the marinating sauce for the duck fillet. 

4. Soak the yellow ear and elm fungus until softened. Then remove the bottom stem.

5. Cut the yellow ear into smaller pieces. 

6. Cut the elm fungus into smaller pieces.

7. Blanch the yellow ear and elm fungus in hot water. Then remove.

8. Heat the wok with some oil, then add in a clove of garlic, and stir-fry the yellow ear and elm fungus for a while. 

9. Add the chicken broth and season with salt and sugar, cook until the yellow ear and elm fungus has absorbed the flavours. Then remove.

10. Heat the wok with a cup of oil, then add the clove of garlic. Once fragrant then add the marinated duck fillet to separate them. Then remove and put on sieve to drip off the oil. 

11. With a tablespoon of oil in the wok, add the ginger and remaining garlic. Add the yellow ear and elm fungus back to stir fry.

12. Add the snow peas and carrot slices. Season with salt and sugar.

13. Add the duck fillet back in and stir fry quickly. Add the Chinese yellow wine, stir well. Then add the sesame oil to mix well before serve.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Dim Sum Library

This eatery is located in Pacific Place, with a contemporary design and decor, having a bar and counter at the entrance area serving cocktails and other beverages, while at the back is the dining area, with a darker lighting offering a more western restaurant ambiance. On the night the restaurant was quite full and the whole dining area was pretty much fully occupied, apparently showing the popularity of the place.

With reservation we were seated at a nice corner, with the sofa seating quite comfortable, but the tables are quite close to each other so it is rather busy and noisy, and is not exactly a place where you come to enjoy a quiet meal with private conversations.

I ordered a mocktail to start. The Refreshing Guava Sunrise ($55) is made from guava juice, orange juice, cranberry juice and honey. Colorful and refreshing, it is true to the name. At the same time we each order our own tea, which is charged per person ($24 each).

Famous for its dim sum with a modern twist, we ordered a few of the signature ones to try. First comes Hokkaido King Crab and Sea Urchin Spring Rolls ($92), the four pieces of crispy spring rolls each have sea urchin on top, with the flavors a good match with the king crab fillings inside. An creative and tasty dim sum, it helps to dispel some of my worries that this restaurant is only having the buzz without substance.

The second dim sum was Black Truffle Har Gau, or Shrimp Dumplings ($62). There are three pieces served in an interesting rectangular steamer. Instead of the traditional circular ones, the steamer itself is a thoughtful way to show the restaurant is offering something different. The dumplings have an intense black truffle note which did not overpower the taste of the shrimp fillings. A nice one too, and if you like truffle this one would be a must-try.

The third dim sum was King Prawn and Spinach Dumplings ($78). There are two pieces, which are served in the more traditional circular steamer, with an appealing king prawn on top of the dumplings, bursting with spinach fillings that you can clearly see through the thin transparent dumpling skin. Not bad in taste, but this one I found having not much difference than what you could find in other restaurants, except having the prawn on top. Might not exactly worth the price to try it out.

We also had the Shredded Chicken with Ginger and Spring Onion Cheung Fun ($88) or Rice Roll. This unfortunately was my least favorite in the evening. Not because this was somehow missed out in the order and only served to us after we followed up on it, more due to the fact the shredded chicken is rather tasteless, and the rice roll did not help as it was not as silky as I would expect on texture. The soy sauce is also a bit of a disappointment, lame in flavors and not able to bring out the taste of the food.

Apart from dim sum we also had a vegetable. The Shanghai Cabbage and Fish Maw in Seafood Broth ($138), looking simple, is on the other hand a pleasant surprise. There are plenty of fish maw strips on top of the cabbage, cooked nicely to be tender while not overly cooked, and absorbing the sweet tastes of the seafood broth. It is also of decent portion size too to share among a few people. A nice dish.

Then it was Singaporean Fried Rice Vermicelli with Iberico Pork Char Siu and Shrimps ($188). This one I also like, mainly because when it was served and I had the first bite, you can immediately taste the high-heat stir-frying (wok hey), and you know the chef are using the right techniques to prepare the rice vermicelli. Taste is quite good but spicy, the char siu is however rather mediocre.

Wrapping up we had desserts, with me going for Pomelo and Mango Ice Cream ($58) while my wife had Jasmine Tea Pudding ($58). The ice cream is decent, and I can taste the pomelo and mango flavors of the signature dessert though it is not as concentrated as the normal dessert. Not a bad one but I don't think it is worth the price.

Service is fair, with the staff courteous and friendly. My biggest complaint is on the price. As pointed out, there are many dishes I think not worth the price, and the bill on the night was a staggering $952. Consider the food quality and other factors I would say it is over-priced. 

Wineshark Wine Journey - Pazo de Barrantes

Pazo de Barrantes Winery is associated to the Counts of Creixell since the beginning of the 20th century although the property is in the hands of the family since 1511. Over the years, the Count of Creixell's family has given its own personality to every wine produced in the winery.

In the 1990's the Galician property turns into an estate designed specifically for the albarino growing, the great and noble local grape variety.

This enabled the family to join all the efforts to offer a careful and precise winemaking of the albarino in the heart of the Salnes Valley.

The construction of the Galician winery at the beginning of the 1990's established a balanced relationship between Pazo Barrantes and the historic Riojan winery founded by the Marquis of Murrieta.

Marques de Murrieta Estates and Wines is led by a family who is used to professionalism and daily effort. Two siblings with a Galician heart who remember their parents with love and gratitude. Chus Suarez-Llanos and Vicente Cebrian-Sagarriga, wonderful and exemplary parents, tireless workers and, in essence, an admirable family.

"They began a great business and family project which we nowadays aim to continue with the same strength and enthusiasm. They transmitted us the value of a united family, they showed us the daily effort, not to fear the fight, the meaning of sacrifice and the reason of the effort. They shared with us how to win and also how to lose... always without becoming weak, looking ahead, seeking joy. They transmitted us the need of respecting and being faithful to the past but without forgetting our future... always looking ahead. They gave us their faith, their confidence, their love for life and for all the people around us, their wish to give always, in essence, their charming way of living."

Pazo de Barrantes Estate is located in the Rias Baixas D.O. and it is composed of 12 hectares of albarino vines surrounding the historic property which dates from 1511.

It was founded with the aim of a medium size vineyard offering top quality wines. It represents the continuity, in terms of winemaking, of the spirit of the Rioja winery founded by the Marquis of Murrieta since the vineyard is controlled at all times: vine training system, pruning, yields and the optimum time for the manual harvest.

Its location in the Salnes Valley places Pazo de Barrantes in the birthplace of the whites from Rias Baixas. This is the subregion with the most Atlantic influence that is present in the albarino grape cultivated in this vineyard.

There are two wines. Pazo Barrantes is undoubtedly one of the flagship wines of the Rias Baixas D.O. Its Albarino grape grows in the Pazo de Barrantes' vineyards, a bucolic twelve hectares single vineyard that warrants plenty of aromatic complexity to the wine, thanks to the wide range of natural essences that pervade the landscape influencing the grape's aromatic development. An Albarino of great personality, with a striking and fragrant varietal character and surprising bottle ageing potential. It charms the nose with intense floral, fruity and balsamic aromas and delights the mouth with its depth, elegance and freshness. Pazo Barrantes is a perfect blend of structure and silkiness, complexity and exuberance, longevity and immediate enjoyment.

The grapes are sourced from our Pazo de Barrantes estate, surrounding the winery in the Salnes Valley. 100% Albarino, harvested in 18 kg cases, once in the cellar, these grapes are first carefully de-stemmed and then gently pressed. This process helps extract the maximum aromatic potential from the grapes. The grape is fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for 30 days after decantation of the juice's small inner particles. Fermentation takes place in absence of the grape skins. It is left in contact with its fine lees for three months in the pursuit of texture and density. It spends six months in tank before bottling. Pazo Barrantes develops an attractive aromatic complexity and mouth feel along its ageing in bottle.

The other wine is La Comtesse. From the 2009 vintage a new dream becomes reality for the Pazo de Barrantes Winery: La Comtesse de Pazo Barrantes. A contemporary white wine that shows the versatility of the Albarino to reach new heights of freshness, fragrance and exuberant aromatic power. La Comtesse delights us with an elegant complexity and an enhanced aromatic richness which proves that the character of the Albarino wine can reach surprising levels when treated with meticulous and careful use of oak barrels.

Grapes are sourced from Cacheiro single-vineyard, an old-vine plot within our 12-hectare estate called Pazo de Barranted located in the Salnes Valley. 100% Albarino, harvested in 18 kg cases, the albarino bunches are de-stemmed before pressing. Afterwards, the grapes are gently pressed to respect and boost the intense aromatic potential obtained from these old vine grapes. Juice settling. Temperature controlled alcoholic fermentation takes place in a 3,000 litre-French Allier oak vats for 60 days. In the pursuit of gaining more volume on the palate and a balanced mouth feel, the wine is left in contact with its fine lees for 4 months.

La Comtesse ages in this same wooden vat for 12 months longer. Afterwards it remains in a concrete tank for other 10 months. There is a limited release of 12,240 bottles.

Tasting Note (2015 Pazo Barrantes)

Appearance: Bright and clear, the wine is of light lemon-green colour with watery rims and legs.

Nose: Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of stone fruit of white peach, floral notes of jasmine, citrus fruit of lemon zest, tropical fruit of mango, green fruit of grapefruit, mineral notes of stony, maturity notes of honey. The wine is developing.

Palate: Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium alcohol, medium (+) body and medium (+) intensity flavors of stone fruit of peach, citrus notes of lemon, dairy notes of cream, mineral notes of stony, floral notes of jasmine. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion: Very good quality Rias Baixas Albarino with an intense nose showing good complexity, with the typical varietal characters clearly exhibited, good floral and peachy nose supplemented with exotic fruit and some development aromas, the wine is well-balanced, with a slightly heavy body and good concentration on the palate with similar flavors, finishing with a reasonable length. It is ready to drink now and not meant for further ageing.

Wineshark Hotel Stay - InterContinental Hong Kong

Located in TST harbour front, this hotel is one of the best in town with a fantastic view of the Victoria Harbour and HK Island. Decided to come here and spend a staycation holiday, we booked for the special Local Wanderlust Package which is truly a good deal. It included free parking for the stay so we can drive direct from home.

The plan allowed an early check-in at noon, and after a quick registration we were shown to our room. Originally we booked the Harbour View Room, and with the guranteed upgrade we ended up in the Deluxe Harbour View Room.

The room is certainly spacious, with a sitting room area featuring two sofas and a coffee table, a writing desk, and a large king-sized bed at the other end of the room. The design is luxurious, yet cozy and relaxing.

There is welcome fruit platter and a welcome tea prepared for the guests, but feeling hungry we went to lunch straight after dropping our luggage.

Feeling to eat something light we went to Lobby Lounge, featuring a panoramic view of the harbour. The place is more suitable for drinks because of the sofa seating, providing international cuisines. I can imagine during afternoon tea the place would be packed.

After taking a nice stroll in the nearby newly opened K11 Musea, we returned to the hotel and took a bath. Not only the bathroom is very spacious, the shower room can also turn into a sauna while the big bath has jacuzzi function. One of the most sophisticated bathrooms I have ever visited.

For dinner we went to one of the Michelin restaurants in the hotel - Rech by Alain Ducasse. This is the first outpost of the famous Paris seafood restaurant, providing fresh and authentic French delicacies, great wines and wonderful services.

The package also includes breakfast, at Harbourside, the all-day dining in a casual setting renown for its international buffet. True to its fame, even for breakfast there is a wide range of choices, and for anyone there is plenty of varieties.

Instead of checking out at noon, this special allows guests to have late check-out at 6pm. We decided to have dinner at Yan Toh Heen before leaving. This Michelin 2-star Chinese restaurant offers great Cantonese dishes, with a lot of jade carvings too to highlight a luxurious sensory and culinary experience.

The service is very good in all the different areas, and because there is a 15% discount on all spends in the restaurants, as well as a $1,000 credit, it is a great incentive to try out the many great restaurants, which also include Nobu (a Japanese restaurant) and The Steakhouse (grill). We ended up spending about $9,970 and it is an indulgent retreat but worth every penny.