Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Lu Feng

With the ravage of COVID the local restaurant scene has seen a big hit, in particular those mainly serving for overseas tourists. Seeing some good reviews on social media, we decided to come here on a Wed evening to try it out, and also continue to do our routine to offer some tiny support to the local dining industry. 

Located in the Peak Tower, the first impression I got was one of fun. Walking up the steps to the dining area, there is decors reminding us of some historic and iconic HK features in the 60s/70s, no matter the big painting on metallic roof for the 'No Littering Campaign', the hanging signs one see on the street (with some funny store names), or the patterns of iron gate at the backdrop of the booth seating. 

We were greeted warmly by the waitress, calling out my name instead of having us to identify ourselves, then proceeded to led to our table, at the prime spot on the window side looking out to the peak and the busy city below. The tables are quite far apart in view of the social distancing requirements, giving us good privacy. On the night the restaurant was very quiet as well. 

We ordered Thick Soup with Sweet Corn and Fish Maw ($108). The portion is very big and would be good for 4 or more people, so after each of us finishing two large bowls each there is still maybe 1/3 of the soup remaining. I like the soup served steaming hot and the taste is good too. I think our doubt whether the restaurant is yet another 'tourist-only' is quickly being removed.

Next came Yellow Rice Wine Chicken in Hakka Style ($138). Served in a sizzling clay pot, on opening the lid the intense and fragrant rice wine aromas are very appealing. The chicken is nicely seasoned, and while I would not say the flesh is very tender, the taste overall is quite delicious.

The Poached Seasonal Vegetable with Salted and Preserved Egg ($98) is again another dish you can find in almost all Cantonese restaurants. The pak choi is fairly tender, and the dish overall decent, without any surprises in both good or bad manner. 

Sweet and Sour Crispy Pork ($138) is another of their signature dishes, and this one to me is my favorite in the evening. The chef had made a twist in the recipe, and using a batter to coat the pork before deep-frying, creating a crispy skin before cooking with the sauce, enabling also the effect of 'silk-pulling', in which when you picked up a piece of the pork the sauce attached is so viscous it looks like pulling a thread. The taste is good, with the right balance of sweet and sour. I think if they use pork loin for the meat it might be even better, but of course considering the price point and portion it is important to make some tradeoff.

The service on the night is good, considering the pressure of the two staff having to oversee the whole restaurant. The bill was $568 which I would say is very good value, considering all the food we have, the portion size, the restaurant environment, and that fantastic view which is truly remarkable. I also feel touched and encouraged by how the staff continued to do their best to make us feel welcome and happy throughout the meal. Again, I believe this is what makes a restaurant successful and keeping it up I am sure the restaurant will go a long way when things are returning to normal.