Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Win8 永8舫

Since Eighteen Sharp has closed, we have not been able to try Chef Chan’s dishes. It was a pleasant surprise when he contacted me, letting me know he now works at this newly open restaurant, on Winland Square on Hennessy Road. 

With two large VIP rooms offering its own private washroom and also sofa and TV, allowing customers to have private party, the main dining section is also very beautifully designed, with nice murals on the partition walls, lush carpet, and comfortable tables spaciously separated. 

We let Chef Chan decides on the menu ($888 each), and he prepares an appetizer comprising of three items. On the right is Japanese Egg with Runny Yolk, with a bit of aged Chinese yellow wine and caviar. In the middle is Cherry Tomato, with a refreshing lychee flavour. On the left is Stuffed Chicken Wing with Mushrooms, beautifully deep-fried to golden brown with a bit of yuzu balsamic vinegar to pair. All are delicious but I will pick the chicken wing as my favourite. 

The second course is Deep-Fried Pigeon with Lotus Root in Pineapple Puree. The 10-day baby pigeon has been prepared for several days, first marinated with Shaoxing wine for one day, followed by Rose wine for second day. On the third and fourth day it is soaked in ginseng water, before doing the final step with marinade and malt vinegar mixture to colour the skin. Nicely deep-fried with crispy skin and juicy meat of complex flavours, this is one of the best pigeons I have eaten. The lotus root and pineapple puree help to freshen up the palate afterwards. On the side are some deep-fried, finely shredded sweet potatoes that are very tasty as well.

The third course is Double-Boiled Sea Conch Soup. The soup is prepared with plenty of prawn heads, then double-boiled with sea conch for eight hours. Afterwards the soup is added with honeydew melon to double boil for an additional four hours. The soup is very intense in flavours, rich with umami, and the chef is also particular in the serving temperature, requiring it to be steaming hot, so having a tealight to keep the temperature of the bowl throughout. Really fantastic in taste.

The fourth course is Pan-Fried Large Prawn, with the chef using a fusion approach to prepare a sauce with French mustard, lemon, and butter. Perhaps due to the lemon leaves put underneath, the flavours remind me a bit on the Thai tom yum. The prawn is sweet in taste, going well with the sauce. The deep-fried shredded sweet potatoes are available again, good in soaking up the remaining sauce. 

The fifth course is a vegetarian dish. The Fresh Snow Fungus in Pumpkin Puree is also my favourite dish in the evening. The silky tender texture of the steamed snow fungus, while on itself has not much flavour, is great in taste when mixed with the pumpkin puree, which has also been mixed with soymilk and a bit of truffle oil. For the spinach, the chef has deliberately retained its root, where it has been meticulously cleaned, as it is high in nutritional value. With a few wolfberries and some gold flakes to decorate, it is a dish winning high marks in both appearance and taste.

The sixth course is Baked Iberico Pork with Mixed Herbs Sauce. The large piece of pork is carved on tableside, with the thickly sliced meat juicy and tender, while having a crusty, caramelized surface from the baking. The sauce is prepared with mixed herbs and a salad sauce to give a bit of acidity to freshen up the palate. A very generous portion which for even big eaters like us we can barely finish all.

The seventh course is Abalone Rice, with the chef first steaming the Japanese rice, then adding with some broth to stir-fry, along with some jicama to give a bit of crunchy texture. Mixed with abalone sauce and adding with some shredded abalone on top, it is a satisfying finish to the savoury dishes before going to the desserts. 

The eighth course is Winter Melon Paste with Rose and Walnut. The chef carves out the meat of the small water melon and blend to form a paste, and then prepares a rose essence to add to the paste. Creamy and smooth, there are pieces of walnut to have a contrast in texture, with some finely chopped dried rose sprinkled as well. It is of low sweetness to adjust to the taste buds of people nowadays.

The ninth and final course is Butterfly Pea Flower Pudding and Sesame Pineapple Pastry. The former has two layers, with the top showing the beautiful purplish hue from the butterfly pea flower, while the lower is the coconut cream pudding, with ginger juice added to give a bit of spiciness and fragrance. Delicious. The latter has the fillings made with fresh pineapple and pineapple paste, to balance the sweetness, with the pastry fluffy. Both desserts are very good.  

Wrapping up we have a glass of Sparkling Cold-Brewed Tea, highly refreshing with a bit of citrus to cleanse the palate. Service is very good, with Chef Chan coming out often to interact with us, explaining the dishes in details. The bill on the night is $2,017 which is very good value for money. I look forward to returning for try its dim sum at lunch also. 

Wineshark Cooking Class - Spaghettini con Salsa Napoletana 意大利圓直麵佐番茄醬

Ingredients (for 4):

• Prawn - 8
• Spaghetti - 350 g
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Black pepper finely - 1/2 tsp
• Olive oil - 5 tbsp
• Onion - 1
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Canned tomato - 1
• Basil - 2 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Chop the onion finely.

2. Chop the basil into small pieces. Keep a few sprigs for decoration.

3. Chop the garlic finely.

4. Use a skewer to keep the prawns in straight shape.

5. Pan-fry the prawns with some olive oil, and keep warm.

6. Heat the saucepan with olive oil, then saute the onion.

7. Add the garlic in.

8. Add the anchovies in.

9. After a while, add the canned tomato in. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes.

10. Turn off the heat and add in the basil. Mix well. 

11. Boil a large pot of water, then add in the spaghetti. Cook according to the instruction on package.

12. Put the cooked spaghetti into the sauce and mix well. Season with salt and black pepper finely.

13. Serve with the prawns and a bit of basil as garnish.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Yardbird

I have visited this izakaya restaurant six years ago, and returning today I found it has moved to this Sheung Wan Wing Lok Street neighbourhood, drawing a huge following still with the whole restaurant packed at the first seating at 6pm. 

There are two dining sections, one right at the front after coming in, offering more casual bar setting and the other at the back, with the tables able to see the open kitchen where the chefs are busy at work. The industrial-chic design is contemporary and matches well with the vibe.

I order a bottle of Takashimizu Daiginjo Kacho ($1,180) to go with the dinner, with its rich and deep umami taste pairing well with the heavier grilled dishes. My wife has the Yardbird Lemonade ($68). 

To start we have Fruit Tomato Salad ($160). The sweet tomato has been drizzled with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, with some shiso leaves to add to the fragrance. On the bottom is yuba, the bean curd sheets which has a soft texture. A nice salad. 

Then comes Sweet Corn Tempura ($120). A signature of the restaurant, the two large sweet corn balls are deep-fried but not feeling any oiliness, with a nice sweetness balanced well with the sea salt and pepper seasonings. 

Our yakitori feast begins with the Oyster ($52 each). This is my favourite cut, with the meat very tender and juicy. Beautifully grilled and seasoned with sea salt, there is a piece of lemon provided to add a few drops of lemon juice to further freshen up with a nice citrus note.

The Wings ($48 each) are also nicely done, not overcooked to maintain a moist inside while the skin is crispy, seasoned with sea salt and shichimi. 

The Gizzard ($48 each) has a wonderful bouncy bite, marinated well and sprinkled with plenty of crispy garlic and soybean to add to its great texture. 

The Knee ($48 each) is a special cut I have not eaten before. Feeling like the mix of soft bones with tasty meat, it has been marinated well with sake and garlic. One of my favourites in the evening.

The Miso Breast ($48 each) has been marinated with basil, parsley and garlic, in addition to miso. The herbs add to the chicken breast a different dimension of flavours. Another nice one.

The Fillet ($48 each) has been marinated with shoyu koji and yuzu, with a more delicate taste than the other skewers. I found the meat a bit tougher than I would expect. This one I do not like.

The Rib ($48 each) is another of our favourites. The leaner meat has been nicely grilled and brushed with tare sauce, and then sprinkled with sansho to give a bit of spiciness. Very delicious.

The Meatball ($52 each) is another of the signature. Beautifully grilled, there is egg yolk with tare sauce on the side for dipping the minced chicken meatball, with the sweetness of the tare sauce, the silky-smooth texture from the egg yolk all memorable. 

The Heart ($48 each) has a good bite, having marinated with some ginger as well. Adding a lot of spring onion, it has nice fragrance.

The Liver ($48 each) has been grilled with tare sauce, and sprinkled with sansho to give spiciness. The liver has a rich flavour.

The Bicep ($48 each) is our last order, with the meaty cut having a nice bite, brushed with tare sauce, and sprinkled with Kyoto shichimi. This one we both like as well.

For dessert we have Monaka Ice Cream Sandwich ($80) and the flavour offered is Soba Tea. The crunchy crust on the outside, the nice fragrance of the soba tea with the pieces of buckwheat giving additional bite, completes a wonderful dinner for us.

Service is good, with the staff friendly though they are also very busy so cannot offer much interactions with the customers. The bill on the night is $2,954 and this is a great place to enjoy a nice ambience (though quite noisy) and some good yakitori.  

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Lobster Bar and Grill

This restaurant is in Island Shangri-La Hotel, offering a good spot for customers wanting to go for a drink, or a nice meal. Coming today before Christmas, the whole atmosphere is very festive, with many nutcracker soldiers on the corridor lining up to the restaurant, along with snowman and other decorations. 

Seated at a comfortable circular booth with an aquarium tank behind us, with some small coral fish swimming, the luxurious design, high ceiling with dim lighting, large windows looking out to the beautiful Admiralty view, create a very relaxing ambience, with each table having good space apart, and in no way feeling crowded even with full seating. 

Started with a glass of champagne ($220), I begin with the Oysters, choosing Antilope 1858 ($198 for 3 pieces). Coming from Normandy, the oysters are very fresh, with a good texture and not too briny. Adding a bit of lemon juice and shallot vinaigrette, I finish the three pieces in quick succession. 

Next comes the Salmon Balik Cut ($380). The staff pulls the cart to carve out four thick slices of the salmon in front of the table, and adds some pickled cucumber on the side. Lightly cured and gently smoked, the salmon is very moist and tender, delicious. The pickles have wonderful acidity to balance with the fat of the salmon to make it lively. There is also a Melba toast to go along with the salmon.

The Caesar Salad ($188) is prepared in traditional manner, mixing the Roman lettuce with croutons, bacon crisps, small herring fillets, and Parmesan cheese. The seasoning is spot on, without the sauce over-dominating the flavours of the other ingredients. The crunchy lettuce, coupled with the crispness of the bacon and croutons, are a good match in texture. 

Coming to the main course, I order another glass of Sancerre to pair ($180). The Grilled Lobster ($798) is truly delicious, with the chef removing the meat from the whole lobster to present on plate, together with garlic butter on the side. Wonderfully seasoned, the lobster is sweet in taste, and the meaty texture certainly is gratifying on the bite. The sauce adds a nice buttery note to the lobster, highly complementary in flavours. A fantastic dish that I highly recommend.

We have chosen Sirloin ($698) as our steak. It is of decent size at 300g, perfectly grilled to medium level as requested, with some herbs to infuse with nice fragrance, very juicy and tender, and fantastic in taste. Served with beef jus, we both like the steak very much as it is leaner and flavourful. The best steak I have for a while.

For dessert, I have Apple Bourbon Pie ($108). The crust is crumbly, with the apple fillings great in taste, having the right balance of acidity, sweetness, the fragrance and bitterness from the bourbon, and touches of cinnamon. With vanilla ice-cream on the side, it is another classic dessert that is so delicious that you will wonder why not that many restaurants are offering nowadays. My wife has the Fruits and Berries ($108) with an assortment of seasonal fruit and berries, light and refreshing.

Finishing with a cup of Double Espresso ($75), the complimentary cup cakes are also delicious. Overall, service is good, though I think the staff can introduce the dishes more. But when the staff mistakenly fill my glass with warm water instead of the bottled water that I order they immediately change my glass and open a new bottle for us, showing good service recovery. The bill on the night is $3,248 and is reasonable. If looking for delicious lobster and steak in a nice ambience, this is a good place to consider.