Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Loaf On 六福菜館

Originally we intend to head to High Island Reservoir East Dam, but arriving at Sai Kung at 10am we already saw a long queue waiting for taxi, and guessing that it would take quite a while to get a cab, we decided to just skip the hike and headed for an early lunch instead. 

After a leisure walk around the area, we decided to have seafood, and headed to this Michelin 1-star restaurant. Walking up to the second floor, the dining area is spacious, with good distance between tables, a neat, tidy and clean ambience much different to the other seafood restaurants in the area.

Starting with an appetizer which is also a signature dish, as basically all tables also ordered the same, the Fried Tofu with Chili and Garlic ($60 for half portion) has a thin crispy skin with a soft and smooth tofu interior. The chili and garlic is spot on in flavors, and I can readily associate why it is so popular.

Another famous dish is the Fish Soup with Potatoes and Tomatoes ($58 each). The soup is really rich and intense in taste, with a sweet umami note that one cannot stop drinking. And again this soup is ordered by all the tables, and one even using it to blanch the geoduck. 

For seafood we had Mantis Shrimp with Chili and Garlic ($888 for two). The mantis shrimp is really huge, with the two of them weighing 1 catty 7 tael. The staff helped to cut away the shell to facilitate us eating, and the meat was so tasty. The chili and garlic was certainly flavorsome, but did not mask the nice taste of the mantis shrimp. A fantastic dish and one of the best I had experienced for this dish.

Another seafood we ordered was Steamed Black Speckled Grouper ($715). The fish weighs 1 catty 2 tael, and cooked to perfection. The flesh of the fish is very tender while the skin having a nice chewy bite. I think from how clean we picked the meat from all the bones the chef would know how appreciate we are for this dish.

Completing the meal we had the Traditional Steamed Rice with Seafood ($198). Served in a clay bowl, it is highly fragrant, with plenty of dried shrimp, squid and whitebait, along with some steamed Chinese sausages, offering a fantastic range of seafood taste to the rice, further strengthened by the amount of spring onion and coriander. Not small even for the smaller portion, but we could not resist and also finishing everything in no time.

Service is good, and I like the attentiveness of the staff to customers' requests and the friendly attitude. The price and processing fee for the seafood is clearly shown on the menu and each seafood is also shown to us before passing to the kitchen. In that regards I think the restaurant did a good job in giving comfort to customers and not 'ripping them off'.

The bill was $2,226 and considering the seafood, quality of the food, overall ambience like decor and services, I would say it is a good option if you want a more decent place to have some nice seafood in Sai Kung. 

Wineshark Cooking Class - Beef Cheek in Sichuan Spiced Marinade 川滷牛臉珠

Ingredients (for 4):

• Pork jowl meat - 600 g
• Oil - 4 tbsp
• Ginger - 25 g
• Shallot - 20 g
• Garlic - 20 g
• Red chili - 1
• Sichuan peppers - 2 tbsp
• Star anise - 1
• Chili bean sauce - 1 tbsp
• Water - 300 ml
• Soy sauce - 150 ml
• Slab sugar - 150 g
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Chinese five spice - 1 tsp
• Chinese celery - 40 g
• Spring onion - 15 g
• Sichuan chili oil - 1 tbsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 1 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Put the pork jowl meat in boiling water to cook until the water re-boils, and then lower the heat and cook for one hour. Remove the pork jowl meat and then put in iced water.

2. Chop the shallot and garlic finely. 

3. Cut the ginger into slices. Cut the red chili into pieces.

4. Cut the Chinese celery and spring onion into sections.

5. Heat the pot with oil, and then saute the ginger.

6. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until fragrant.

7. Then add the Sichuan peppers, red chili, star anise and chili bean sauce. Cook until fragrant.

8. Add water, soy sauce, slab sugar, salt, Chinese five spice, Chinese celery and spring onion. Cook until boiling.

9. Put the pork jowl meat in and lower the heat to cook for 15 minutes. Then turn off the heat, add chili oil and Chinese yellow wine. Cover with lid to let it simmer for another 15 minutes.

10. Remove the pork jowl meat and cut into pieces.

11. Pour the sauce on top to serve.

Wineshark Cooking Class - White Bitter Melon Marinated in Plum Wine 話梅梅酒涼拌白玉苦瓜

Ingredients (for 4):

• Bitter melon - 1
• Dried plum - 6
• Hot water - 150 ml
• Plum wine - 600 ml
• Basil - 8 leaves

Procedures:

1. Place the dried plums in a bowl and then pour in the hot water to soak until the water reaches room temperature.

2. Remove the seeds and the inner white layer. Cut the bitter melon into strips.

3. Pour the plum wine into the bowl and add the basil in. Then put the bitter melon in and allow to soak overnight.

Wineshark Cooking Class - Salmon in Cream Sauce 忌廉汁三文魚粒

Ingredients (for 4):

• Salmon - 300 g
• Cream - 1/3 box
• Milk - 1 bowl
• Garlic - 4 cloves
• Salt - 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp
• Butter - 1 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Cut the salmon into big cubes, and then marinate with 1/2 tsp of salt. 

2. Cut the garlic into slices.

3. Heat the pan with butter, then add the garlic slices to saute until fragrant.

4. Add the salmon cubes and pan-fry until slightly golden on the outside. Then remove.

5. Mix the cream with milk, then season with the remaining salt.

6. Cook the sauce until it thickens, and then add the salmon and simmer for about a minute. Then serve.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - 10 Shanghai 十里洋場

This restaurant is located in Lee Garden, offering Huaiyang cuisines, which combines the culinary specialties of Suzhou and Shanghai, and the best of the offerings within the area. The entrance has a decoration of the classical Chinese moon gate which is quite eye-catching.

Entering the restaurant there is a tone of stylish modern interiors, and passing through several banquettes with jasper green couches offering better privacy, the main dining hall has a wooden flooring and arched metal partitions. However, the tables are just too small to put the dishes. 

As a result we asked the staff to prepare the dish one by one. The first served being Huadiao-Brined Squab ($142). Beautifully presented back to resemble the shape, the squab has been marinated perfectly with the brine having the right balance of huadiao and marinade. The meat is quite tender too. 

Next we had the soups, with me going for Double-Boiled Bean Curd Blossom with Matsutake and Crab Claw in Chicken Consomme ($108) while my wife had Braised Fish Maw with Creamy Crab Roe ($218). Apparently my wife liked her soup very much, with the crab roe intense and flavorful with the fish maw having a nice bite. 

Served in a clay bowl, my soup certainly is a demonstration of the amazing knife skills of the chef. The bean curd is cut in a way to resemble the blossom, with the petals all so finely cut. The soup base is a bit too salty, while the matsutake mushroom and crab claw are decent in taste. Still the presentation alone is sufficient reason to try it out.

Then we had the signature Jiangsu River Shrimps Sauteed with Crab Roe ($328). The crab roe is very good, intense and seasoned very well, and I can understand why my wife had a good compliment on the soup. On the other hand the river shrimps are a bit disappointing, as it did not have the crunchy texture I would expect. 

Another dish we often ordered is Baby Yellow Croaker Deep-Fried with Salt and Pepper ($118). The fish is surprisingly large in size, with a crispy skin, soft and tender flesh. The deep-fried salt and pepper added a layer of exciting taste, delicious and with the price point it is one of the best value and quality.

A test to any Shanghai restaurant is always the quality of their xiao long bao. The Signature Steamed Xiao Long Bao ($75) has five pieces, each having a thin dough skin, and you can see the jus holding up inside. The minced pork and jus is tasty, and adding a bit of Zhejiang vinegar further enhanced the flavors to another level. 

Wrapping up we had the dessert, with both of us choosing Glutinous Dumplings in Sweet Ginger Soup ($52 each). The soup has an intense ginger note and taste, certainly delivering a kick on spiciness in a pleasant way. The dumplings are decent, with sesame fillings and a chewy bite. 

Service is decent overall, with the only black mark coming when I asked whether we can switch to another table when we were first seated, the response from the manager (I presume) was just pure rude, shutting us down and without trying to even pretend and see what he can help. On hindsight I feel amazed I did not just walk away at that point.

The bill was $1,268 which is reasonable in my opinion. There are so good points for sure, but just a reminder that it is important to pay better attention to the service as it is easy for one single person to ruin the overall experience and reputation of a restaurant. 

Wineshark Cooking Class - Pan-fried Chicken Wings with Shio Koji 鹽麴烤雞翅

Ingredients (for 4):

• Chicken wings - 12
• Shio koji - 4 tbsp
• Mirin - 1 tbsp
• Minced ginger - 1/2 tsp
• Mini cucumber - 1
• Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Chili powder - dashes

Procedures:

1. Mix the shio koji, mirin and minced ginger.

2. Poke the chicken wings with a skewer. Marinate the chicken wings for at least 30 minutes.

3. Cut the mini cucumber into bite sizes.

4. Mix the cucumber with sesame oil, salt and chili powder.

5. Heat the pan with oil, then pan fry the chicken wings, skin down first, until there is charred marks.

6. Turn the chicken wings over and lower the heat to continue to pan fry until fully cooked.

7. Serve with the cucumbers place in the middle.

Wineshark Cooking Class - Steamed Leopard Coral Grouper 清蒸東星斑

Ingredients (for 4):

• Leopard coral grouper - 1 tail (around 500 g)
• Ginger - 10 g
• Spring onion - 2 sprigs
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
• Fish sauce - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - dashes
• Water - 2 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Mix soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, white pepper powder and water for the sauce.

2. Clean the fish and remove the blood vessels inside the body.

3. Cut the ginger into shreds.

4. Cut the spring onion into shreds.

5. Steam the fish for 8 minutes. Remove the water on the steaming plate.

6. Cook the fish soy sauce. Pour the soy sauce on the fish.

7. Heat the oil and then add in the ginger to cook briefly.

8. Pour the ginger on the fish, and then sprinkle with the spring onion.