Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Le Bistro Winebeast

The first time I came to be aware of the name 'Winebeast' is in fact when they were still a wine shop in Wanchai, and I used to walk by during lunch to look at their portfolio, many years back. The wine shop unfortunately were closed afterwards, but they had reincarnated to become this restaurant, offering French cuisine with a good assortment of wines for pairing, and also available for purchase.

The restaurant is pretty small, and as its name highlight, is a no-frill bistro with an emphasis on wines. Decent and relatively comfortable, but the tables are pretty packed so it can feel crowded, but fortunately on the night the restaurant was not too busy so we can enjoy good privacy until the adjacent table has been seated. 

There is a tasting menu, but we decided to go a la carte. For starter I had Tartare of Blue Shrimps ($158). The raw blue shrimps are cut into small pieces, then mixed together with purple onion and cucumber to give a nice crunchy texture on top of the soft shrimp meat, with a great seasoning to highlight the sweetness of the shrimp. The herring caviar on top not adds premium to the dish, the savory note enhances the taste to another level. It is a great starter. My wife had the Perfect Egg ($128) which is nice too, but comparing the two the tartare is what I would recommend.

For the main course I opted for the signature Pithivier of Pigeon and Foie Gras ($388). Pithivier is a round, enclosed pie made from puff pastry, decorated with spiral lines on the surface. Wrapping inside with a leaf of cabbage and having pigeon breast and foie gras as fillings, the gamey taste actually goes perfect with the sauce provided, and together with the mushroom on the side is classical example of the great match of the different flavors from the ingredients, each reinforcing each other and I think it would be fantastic to have a glass of aged Burgundy together. My wife had the Roasted Lobster ($328) and is also very good. 

On the dessert I went for French Artisan Cheese ($168), with five different types of cheese. A good assortment, I also like the chef prepares them in small portions so I can finish all without feeling overwhelming. My wife had the Chocolate Fondant ($98) and is apparently quite sweet for her, but overall enjoyable and giving a good finale for our meal.

Service is decent, and I think they can use more time to explain the dishes to the customers. The bill was $1,459 which is reasonable in my opinion. And knowing that the restaurant will organize wine tasting dinner regularly, I would be tempted to return to try that out, to see how well the chef can match her dishes with the different wines.