Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Deng G 鄧記

This Sichuan restaurant is on Queen’s Road East, Wanchai. Chef Deng Huadong, who has a restaurant under the same name in Shanghai, opened this outlet in 2016 and later also in K11 Musea. They also served a wide range of Chinese baijiu, but I am not that fond of the strong Chinese liquor. 

They have two floors, with the lower one smaller because the kitchen and bar is also on this floor. Seated a table on the window side, the overall décor is a bit dated, but still comfortable. Apparently, the dining environment is better on the upper floor, so you can request to sit upstairs if no concern with walking the extra steps.

With four of us on the night, we were able to order a few more dishes. Starting with some appetizers, we had Mouth-Watering Chicken ($118) and Sliced Pork with Garlic and Chili ($108). The chicken was not too spicy, with the sauce having a balanced mix with chili oil, soy sauce and vinegar. The spring onion, sesame and crushed peanuts brought additional fragrance and bite. Quite nice. 

The sliced pork was even better, however. The abundance of minced garlic was appealing to the palate, with the sliced pork folded with a slice of cucumber inside to give different texture. All of us also commented that the sauce was tastier than the mouth-watering chicken. A must-try. 

For the soup, we had two Hot and Sour Soup to share ($68). Not sure whether the staff mistook that we preferred no spicy, our hot and sour soup was without chili oil, so essentially white in color. The ingredients were simple with tofu and shredded meat, but the idea of adding some deep-fried crisps was nice to add to the bite. I would like to try the original version next time. 

As my wife did not want the spiciness, she picked Supreme Cabbage Consomme ($128) instead. The clear consommé had a leaf of cabbage and a few thin shreds of Chinese ham inside, so on the appearance it might look pathetic. The flavors were in fact very concentrated, with rich umami taste.

We also asked to make the Dry Pot Stir-Fried Cabbages ($158) not spicy, and so while the vegetable was quite nice in taste, it was lacking the extra stimulus in palate. But the skill of the chef in stir-frying the cabbage perfectly to give the best texture, was readily felt. The addition of the salted pork belly slices helped to enhance the dish with a bit of savory flavors as well.

Then came Mandarin Fish and Pickled Vegetables ($438). Another of my favorite in the evening, the fish fillet was very soft and while it did not have a strong taste, was a perfect match with the broth. The sourness from the pickled vegetables, together with spiciness from the chili and Sichuan peppers, was in great harmony and not masking each other. 

The Stir-Fried Mixed Pork Liver and Kidney ($168) was also very good. The chef had stir-fried the thinly sliced pork liver and kidney to the right level, cooked but not over. The wood fungus and celtuce provided not only more color to beautify the dish, and the crunchy textures were also complementary. 

We decided to add the Sweet and Sour Pork ($138) to go along. Unfortunately, this one was the least of our liking. It was prepared in similar fashion as the Cantonese version, with the pork loin pieces deep-fried and then cooked with the sweet and sour sauce, with some bell pepper, onion, and pineapple. On the taste the sweet and sour was less pronounced, and not able to highlight the two signature flavors. Probably best to enjoy this dish in a Cantonese restaurant instead.

We had also ordered the Pork Dumplings Chengdu Style ($58). The dumplings had a good filling of white cabbage and pork, nicely seasoned. Pouring on top was some minced garlic and the chili oil with soy sauce. A nice anchor to fill the stomach. 

For dessert, the Ice Jelly with Fermented Glutinous Rice Syrup ($30) was good, with the soft jelly itself having no flavor but when added together with the syrup and peanuts, was a nice way to cleanse the palate and remove the spiciness aftertaste in the mouth.

We also ordered Sichuan Mochi Crisp with Red Sugar ($78). The deep-fried mochi had a crispy skin and a chewy interior and accompanying was the syrup and bean powder on the side, to allow us to adjust the sweetness per our preference. A nice finale for the meal. 

Service was decent, but like almost all Chinese restaurants the staff did not explain the dishes. The bill on the night was $1,907 and the price was reasonable. Next time perhaps we should come asking for the standard degree of spiciness to experience the true authentic Sichuan cuisine.