Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Smoke & Barrel

This American BBQ restaurant is located on Wyndham Street, Central, featuring an imported wood-fired smoker from Missouri. The big neon, old-school style logo at the entrance is very visible, and walking up the steps brings us to the restaurant.

Having a dark tone, the décor creates a rustic and casual experience. An open kitchen on one side, lots of windows surrounding give diners the feeling of spaciousness. As the weather is nice, we have chosen to sit on the balcony, overlooking Fringe Club on the side. 

My wife has the American Lemonade ($68) while I go for a glass of Albarino ($88) to start, and the staff brings us the homemade sauces, with the Signature Texas BBQ Sauce, Yellow BBQ Sauce, and Carolina Chili BBQ Sauce, in case we want to add to the flavours of the meat.

The Spare Ribs ($198 for 500g) have four large pieces of ribs, beautifully marinated and delicious in taste, without any need for the homemade sauce provided. The meat can be easily detached from the bone, with the cartilage having a good crunchy bite. However, it is not sufficient warm in temperature, apparently having been grilled before the order and has been sitting for a while before serving us.

Next comes the Burnt Ends Bolognaise ($128). Made with 12-hour smoked brisket and charred tomato ragu, the bolognaise sauce is very good in taste, the ragu and beef chucks being moist and flavourful, with also the right texture to ‘stick’ to the pasta. Sprinkled with fresh cheese, this is my favourite dish in the evening.

The S&B Spiced Chicken ($118 half chicken) is a disappointment unfortunately. The chicken is dry, and while on the surface there are some peppers to season, the meat is bland in taste, and we must use the homemade sauces to add flavours. Unless you must have chicken for a reason, it would be better to try some other roasted meats instead.

For dessert, we have Triple Choco Fudge Cake ($88). The large cake slice is moist and very sweet, with rich chocolate taste. To add to the indulgence, it is drizzled with caramel sauce, and on the side are whipped cream, strawberry puree, and Oreo crumbs as condiments. If you can handle the sweetness, this one is pretty good.

I end up having the All American Sundae ($88) all by myself, but I do not complain. The soft serve ice-cream is not too sweet, topped off with cocoa powder and a cherry, with a few wafers on the side. A nostalgic, no-frill sundae that reminds me of the ones I had when I was still a kid. And because the ice-cream is good, I would believe their milkshakes should also be quite nice. 

Service is decent, with the staff friendly and attentive. The bill is $854 which is also reasonable. While the food is mediocre, the balcony is a bright spot but one thing to take note is that it is a smoking area, and diners may come out to enjoy the ‘fresh air’ during your meal. Fortunately, we are not too affected on the night as we are about to leave when people started to do that.