This restaurant is under Elite Concepts, with two branches in HK, one in Pacific Place and the other in K11 MUSEA. Offering Shanghai and Zhejiang cuisines, the latter one has been awarded Michelin 1-star status and so we decided to try it out.
With two seating period, we arrived at 6pm per request. The staff showed us to our table, which is on the floor below by going down the internal staircase. While not having the nice view on 7/F, our booth is comfortable, and I like the décor which has a chic and contemporary ambience.
We had Tea Leaf Smoked Egg 古法煙鴨蛋 ($56) for starter. The smoked egg had a light smoky fragrance while the taste was delicate and not overpowering. The egg yolk was also runny. Nice appetizer.
The other starter was Sliced Pork served with Garlic 蒜泥白肉 ($85). The chili sweet soy sauce on top of the thinly sliced pork, plus the abundance of mashed garlic, provided a feast of flavours and I like this even more than the smoked egg as appetizer.
Next, we had the soups, with me going for Hot and Sour Soup 酸辣湯 ($65) while my wife had Double-boiled Matsutake and Conch Soup 松茸燉響螺 ($128). The hot and sour soup was only lukewarm in temperature unfortunately, so while it had a good balance and sufficient intensity in spicy and sourness, I would have to deduct a lot of marks here.
Coming to the main dishes, the first one was Braised Guandong Sea Cucumber with Scallion 蔥燒遼參 ($480). The premium sea cucumber had got a nice bouncy texture, and had been braised well to infuse with the flavours from the thick sauce. The scallions further provided appealing aromas and was a good complement to the sea cucumber. A nice dish.
The Wok-fried Sliced Fish in Yellow Wine 糟炒魚片 ($228) was also quite good. The yellow wine had wonderful aromas and the unique taste was a perfect complement to the fish fillet, which was lightly seasoned. The wood ear fungus not only provided a contrast in colour, the bouncy texture was also a great contrast to the tender fish fillet to offer complexity.
The last main dish was Yunnan Ham with Honey Sauce 蜜汁火方 ($90). The bun was served steaming hot, and the staff helped us to put the ham and the bean curd skin on the bun. The ham had been steamed to make it soft and easy to bite, with the sweet honey sauce helped to balance the saltiness of the ham. The bean curd skin delivered the crunchy texture to make a enjoyable experience.
It is always a true test for a Shanghai restaurant in how they made Steamed Pork Dumplings 鮮肉小籠包 ($80). This one had a really thin skin, with lots of the jus from the pork fillings. It was a bit tricky to hold it up, but successfully transferring to my mouth without bursting it, the reward was lots of jus and the flavours from the minced pork. A good reason to sharpen your chopsticks skill.
Coming to dessert I had Glutinous Rice Dumplings in Osmanthus Soup 桂花酒釀丸子 ($42) and my wife opted for Sweet Jujube Jello 滋補紅棗糕 ($52). The soup got a good fragrance from the Osmanthus and the fermented rice, and the rice dumplings had a very good chewy bite. The jujube jello was also quite good, not too sweet and got an equally great chewy mouthfeel.
Service was good, with the staff attentive and friendly, again I would hope they could share briefly each dish on the ingredients, cooking techniques etc. which would make the whole experience so much more interesting. The bill was $1,509 and overall a fair deal.
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