Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Hokkaidon 北海丼

This Japanese restaurant is in Cityplaza, specializing in ‘donburi’, meaning ‘bowl of rice dish’, with fish, meat or other ingredients served over a bowl of rice. As its name highlighted, they proudly feature fresh seafood coming from Hakkaido on the menu, prepared in the format of chirashi.

Seated comfortably, the first thing I noticed was the mural art of indigo waves on the wall, reminding me of the rolling sea where the seafood comes from. The cypress furniture offers a sense of neat and tidiness, and overall, the atmosphere is friendly and pleasant.

We ordered a few things along with two dons. While the staff did tell us that one of the starters would take 45 minutes to prepare, my Signature Hokkai Don ($298) ended up being served first, ahead of the other starters. The presentation was appealing, with a good variety of seafood including sea urchin, scallop, botan shrimp, crab claw, yellowtail, salmon, salmon roes, abalone and egg. All the seafood is fresh and tasty, and I like the chef putting chuka salad in between the seafood and the sushi rice to give extra texture. The rice also had the right amount of vinegar to give flavors but not making it too sour. A nice one. 

The California Roll ($68) is a bit disappointing, however. The presentation is a bit floppy, with the flying fish roes not well covering the outside, leaving patches ‘exposed’. The taste itself is not bad fortunately, and with the mayonnaise it did remind me that his used to be my favorite sushi when I was young.

By then the other don, Chicken & Onion with Soft-boiled Egg Don ($118) ordered by my wife, arrived. The egg is slightly overcooked but still acceptable, and the chicken fillet is quite tasty, with the onion caramelized to give the sweetness and there are also plenty of spring onion and sesames to enhance the aromas and flavors further. A good choice if you want a hot don. 

The Crab Croquette ($88) is probably my favorite in the evening. Golden brown in color, it got a crispy surface, while on the inside the crab meat, together with the rich, creamy sauce as fillings, recreated what I would call a sense of joy when biting in. No wonder this is a signature item of the restaurant.  

As we generally eat quite fast, the Grilled Fish Jaw ($278) could only be served after we had finished all the other dishes. I am not sure what type of fish it is, but the portion is one of the biggest I had experienced. The fish jaw was grilled nicely, and the chef adding some black peppers which spice up the flavors. The fish jaw itself is quite fatty, but after adding lemon juice, together with the dipping sauce with the Japanese vinegar mixed with mashed turnip, the sourness helps to balance the fish oil, and also removing the fishy taste. Another good dish and signature of the restaurant.

The service is decent, with the staff attentive and comes to replenish the tea frequently. The bill on the night was $987 which was not cheap, but considering the freshness and quality of the seafood it is not extravagant.