Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Epure

This French restaurant is located in Harbour City, TST. Awarded Michelin 1-star status since 2017, we came early on the night for dinner, the first Saturday evening after the lifting of the dine-in ban for restaurant in this third wave of COVID. 

Comfortably seated at the leather sofa booth, the overall ambiance is one of refined luxury, with subtle elements like the murals on the wall depicting a forest scene with deer hidden among trees. The use of copper and other materials also create a warm and cozy tone. 

Ordering an aperitif to start, the sommelier pushes the champagne cart to us and introduces the different champagnes, with me opting for a glass of Louis Dousset Blanc de Noirs 2002 ($250). Complex with ripe apple, lemon, floral, yeast, stony and hints of development of honey, it is a very nice champagne to start our dinner. 

Ordering the Signature Tasting Menu ($1888 each) with wine pairing ($1500), the first course is il a le vent en 'poulpe', or Octopus. The finely chopped octopus is put on a shortbread crust with some bell pepper. A nice canape to start our dinner. 

The second course is ne pas le prendre, or Melon. The finely chopped melon pieces are mixed with some small pieces of dried sausages, together with some creamy mousse. The wine paired is Michel Redde Les Bois de Saint-Andelain Blanc Fume de Pouilly. While the aromas are refreshing, I found it was a bit of a mis-match with the bitterness of the wine highlighted with the sweetness of the melon. 

The third course is c'est une perle, or Caviar. The caviar has a nice savory note and there is an almond biscuit accompanying too. 

The fourth course is silence ca pousse, or Paris Mushroom Soup. The soup is prepared without adding water, using simply the extract from the mushroom and the cream, very rich and flavorful. In fact it reminded us of like a chocolate drink with a smooth mouthfeel. The wine paired is Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux Nuits-Saint-Georges 2015 with a nice earthy note which matches with the soup quite well.

The fifth course is il est doux, or Cevennes Onion with Black Truffle. The onion has been caramelized offering a sweet taste, matching well with the earthy note of the black truffle. The wine paired is Brezza Barolo 2012. 

The sixth course is il etait une foie, or Duck Foie Gras. The chef has prepared the foie gras with only a light sear and so there is no heavy oily guilt even after eating the three pieces, and the smart addition of the radish and balsamic vinegar sauce helped also to balance. The wine paired is Nicolas Joly Les Vieux Clos 2017, with the Chenin Blanc having the right body but not the necessary sweetness in my opinion to match well.

The seventh course is comme une fricassee, or Langoustine. This is my favorite of the evening, with the slow-cooked langoustine very sweet and flavorful, truly demonstrating the quality of the ingredients. The sauce is made to a mousse which enhances the taste even further. I also like the wine paired, Francois Villard Condrieu DePoncins, with the Viognier highly fragrant and also showing the right body and sweetness to match with the langoustine.

The eighth course is decoupe en salle, or Tableside Carving Dish. The milk-fed lamb rack is supposed to be cut in front of us, but after some attempts the staff brought back to the kitchen to cut, a bit of an embarrassment. The lamb is tender and without any 'sheep' taste. The jus is also seasoned well. Wine paired is Chateau Certan Marzelle 2005. The wine has some good ageing and is a good match.

The ninth course is qui lait cru... or Artisan Cheese. There are five different types of cheese and for me I like the Comte most, without being too salty and developing good nutty and savory characters. The wine paired is Caroline Morey Chassagne-Montrachet Chambrees 2017. The nose is refined and elegant, and while it might lack a bit of the body to match with some of the cheese the wine itself is quite good.

The tenth course is elle est mure, or Raspberry & Chocolate. Quite pretty on the plating, the delicate petals conceal the raspberry ice-cream and chocolate mousse. Sweet but not excessive, it is a rewarding finale of the meal. The wine paired is Domaine Cauhape Jurancon Ballet d'Octobre 2017. 

The petits fours have three different types of sweets and are decent in taste. Wrapping up with a double espresso also makes us feel contented and rewarding, after so many weeks of having to stay at home. No wonder we see many people coming out tonight.

The services are good, with the staff attentive, explaining each course and coming to check in with us on the food and wine. Unfortunately having to pay $6,173 for the dinner is not exactly offering good value in my opinion. The food is good but not great, and the wines are not matching too well with the food in general.

I hope they can pay more attention to that to make a more value for money offering in future. 

Wineshark Cooking Class - Braised Oysters with Garlic and Roasted Pork 火腩獨蒜花菇燜雙蠔

Ingredients (for 4):

• Solo garlic - 6
• Oil - 1 cup
• Oyster - 6
• Dried oyster - 6
• Roasted pork - 300 g
• Dried shiitake mushroom - 12
• Ginger - 1 piece, smashed
• Chicken stock - 1 cup
• Corn starch - 1 tsp + 1tbsp water
• Oyster sauce - 2 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Salt - dashes
• Sesame oil - 1 tsp
• Ginger wine - 1 tbsp
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Soy sauce - 2 tsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Soak the dried shiitake mushroom with water until soften.

2. Remove the stem of the mushroom and retain the water for future use.

3. Clean the oyster under running water, paying attention on the skirt to remove the dirt. Then drip dry.

4. Marinate the oyster with soy sauce and Chinese yellow wine.

5. Clean the dried oysters and then put in a bowl with sugar and ginger wine. 

6. Steam the dried oyster for 15 minutes.

7. Chop the roasted pork into pieces, remove the parts near the bone. 

8. Peel the solo garlic.

9. Put the solo garlic in a pan with oil, and deep-fry until golden, then remove.

10. Rinse the solo garlic in boiling water to remove the oil.

11. Heat the wok under high heat, add 1 tbsp of oil, then add in the ginger.

12. Add the dried shiitake mushroom. 

13. Add the dried oyster and oyster, and cook for about 5 minutes. Then remove.

14. Clean the wok and then add the roasted pork and stir-fry until there is oil seeping out.

15. Add oyster sauce and sugar, continue to stir-fry.

16. Add chicken stock and the water to soak the dried shiitake mushroom. Bring it to boil.

17. Add the solo garlic, dried shiitake mushroom and the two oysters, then cover with lid and cook until the sauce has been reduced to half.

18. Pour in the corn starch and water, mix well, and season with sesame oil before serving. 

Wineshark Cooking Class - Stir-fried Minced Soybean Sprouts and Pork 炒大豆芽菜鬆

Ingredients (for 4):

• Soybean sprouts - 600 g
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Ginger wine - 2 tsp
• Salt, sugar - dashes
• Pork - 200 g
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Garlic - 1 tsp
• Shallot - 1 tbsp
• Chinese chives - 100 g
• Corn starch - 1 tsp + 1 tbsp water
• Sesame oil - 2 tsp
• Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 1 tsp
• Sugar, white pepper powder, sesame oil - dashes

Procedures:

1. Clean the soybean sprouts and separate the beans and stems.

2. Cut the stems into section of about 0.5 cm long.

3. Cut the Chinese chives into section of about 0.5 cm long.

4. Mince the shallot and garlic finely.

5. Cut the pork into small pieces of about 0.3 cm.

6. Marinate the pork pieces with soy sauce, Chinese yellow wine, sugar, white pepper powder and sesame oil. 

7. Heat the wok under medium-high heat, stir-fry the soybeans without oil until they are dried. Add the ginger wine, and season with some salt and sugar. Then remove.

8. Heat the wok under medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp of oil, and stir-fry the stems until softened and with juice coming out. Season with salt and then remove.

9. Heat the wok under medium heat, add 2 tsp of oil, and stir-fry the shallot until becoming transparent. 

10. Add the garlic. 

11. Add the pork pieces and continue to stir-fry until the pork is cooked.

12. Turn the heat to medium-high level, add the soybeans and stems in, and continue to stir-fry.

13. Add the corn starch mixed with water. Then add the Chinese chives. Stir-fry well and then add the sesame oil before serving.