Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Niras

The fine dining scene in HK is very competitive, with many wonderful restaurants offering cuisines featuring food from all over the world, but seldom one would hear about Thai fine dining, despite Thai food being one of the favourites for HK people. My best memories on Thai food revolved around those small restaurants offering authentic and homely Thai food in Kowloon City. So when I heard that this restaurant, the first overseas branch of the Michelin-starred Le Du in Bangkok, which had been crowned Asia’s top restaurant and No.15 of World’s top 50 restaurant in 2023, I booked for dinner to try it out.

Located in K11 MUSEA, the restaurant has two sections. In the first section there is a large bar with nice designs on the front panel and hanging lighting, with also a few tables on the side. The other is a more proper dining room setting. We were seated in the first section to enjoy a partial Victoria Harbour view. With soft lighting, it has a nice contemporary high-end luxury comfort vibe which we like.

We ordered the 6-course Menu ($1,480) with a mocktail pairing ($380) for my wife and a premium wine pairing ($1,180) for myself. The Amuse Bouche comprised of four starters. The first was Smoked Hamachi, with the diced Japanese yellowtail having a touch of smoky note but not overpowering, mixed with some caramelized sugar, fish sauce and chili sauce to give complex yet highly balanced tastes. Very delicious. The second was Deep-Fried Meat Ball, made from langoustine and cabbage mixed with curry powder and black pepper, plus a Thai herbs gel on top. Good in taste and texture.

The other starters were tarts, with one taking the inspiration from Pomelo Salad, having diced scallops mixed with pomelo and dressings, then putting lemongrass puree and caviar on top. Very delicious. The second one was sweet corn tart which had a crunchy bite. The quality of the four starters were very high and got us all excited about the dishes to come.

First course was inspired by Thai marinated raw Prawn. The tiger prawn had been mixed with glutinous rice powder and oil to cook, then putting some Thai herbs and Latok on top. With some seaweed powder to add umami, on the side was a spicy beetroot sorbet, made from Thai seafood sauce showing the well-recognized flavours of the spicy dipping sauce we had for raw prawn. Mixing the sorbet with the prawn and the seaweed together brought a great symphony of enjoyment, with the spiciness enticing and highly appetizing. So good that it was truly unstoppable.

The wine paired for the first course was Ernest Remy Grand Cru Brut, a Blanc de Noirs, with the small producer having less than 10,000 bottles production annually. A medium body champagne with ripe apple and pear notes, wonderful pairing with the prawn. The mocktail paired was called Mekong River.

The second course featured Oyster. The oysters were poached to perfection, and then put on top of some diced plum that had been cooked with Sichuan pepper and Northern Thai spices to give fragrance and spiciness. On the side was a foam prepared from chives and cream, with some red chili oil as well. A good and tasty dish, but frankly not as impressive as the first course.

The wine paired for the second course was Domaine Anne Gros Bourgogne Aligote 2018. With elegant white flowers, some mineral flinty notes and plenty of citrus, a refreshing and easy to drink wine pairing well with the oyster. The mocktail paired was called Pattaya, my wife's pick on the night.

The third course featured Amadai, the Japanese horsehead tilefish. Seasoned well, the chef showed great technique to deep-fry the scales to make it stand and edible, while keeping the flesh moist and soft. On the side was a deep-fried meat ball, made from pork and shrimp, with some kale puree and crispy kale for complement. The sauce was Choo Chee Curry, the red Thai curry best paired with seafood. A combination of great flavours, offering fantastic enjoyment. Another big recommendation in the menu.

The wine paired for the third course was a sake, 龍の尾 特別純米 六割磨き from 男自慢酒造 in Yamaguchi, with a dry palate and nice rice and pear notes especially on the tail, matching well with the curry sauce. The mocktail paired was called Cool Season.

The fourth course featured Crab, with the crab meat put on top of jasmine rice and mixed with diced shiitake mushroom. On the side were three types of sauce, from the outside was the homemade Siracha, sweet with hints of spicy, the middle was black olive paste which had the unique flavours but good complement with the mushroom. The last was a chili paste that was the spiciest among the three but personally I liked most. Enjoying all three with the crab and rice was a good experience, showing the variety and allowing customers to pick what they liked most.

The wine paired for the fourth course was Domaine Testut Chablis Premier Cru Forets 2020, with nice citrus fruit and good acidity, and showing some interesting tropical fruit characters as well. Perhaps due to global warming?

The fifth course was the Signature Grilled Lobster by Le Du ($680), an additional dish we ordered. Splitting among us, the lobster was grilled perfectly, On the lobster head there was some crispy Thai puffs, with the body having the delicious Tom Yum sauce, made from the lobster mustard, lime, lemongrass and herbs, recreating the complex flavours of the Thai soup. On the side was black rice, using chicken broth to prepare in a risotto style, to mix with shallot and chili per one’s preference. Delicious, but not as phenomenal as the Prawn or Amadai in my opinion.

The additional wine provided to pair with the lobster was Barberani Grechetto, an ancient and traditional variety grown in Umbria, with some matured fruit and almond characters suitable with the richer flavours of the lobster and sauce. The mocktail paired was called Thai Mary.

The sixth course featured Wagyu, with the fatty beef seared to our requested medium rare, with some roasted fennel on top, prepared using the butter confit method, which gave a bit of bitterness to the taste of the juicy and tender beef but was surprisingly complementary. The sauce was made from holy basil, with also spiciness to give a kick and extra dimensions in flavour. Another good dish.

The wine paired with the sixth course was Sassicaia 2011, the premium wine on the night. The rich and pleasant blackcurrant and blackberry characters were prominent, with a silky-smooth tannin and good concentration on the palate. A wonderful wine to pair with the beef. The mocktail paired was called Roselle Garden.

Before the seventh course we were served a pre-dessert, with Hibiscus sorbet, an alga jelly slide made from hibiscus and strawberry juice, and some fresh strawberries on top. A refreshing and pleasant dessert of finesse before transitioning to the final course on the night.

The seventh course was Mango Sticky Rice, reimagined in a contemporary version, with the sticky rice made to mochi format, with cream, fresh mango, caramelized hazelnut, and lemon curd on top to balance the taste. On the side was mango ice-cream. Delicious and while the form and shape was totally different, the flavours had all the elements bringing us back to Bangkok for the most signature local dessert. Very good indeed.

The wine paired with the dessert was Kuni Zakari 國盛 おばあちゃんの梅酒, a plum wine from Aichi which got appropriate sweetness to match with the mango sticky rice, plus mouth-watering plum notes and acidity. The final mocktail paired was called Purple Saturday.

The Petits Fours included Pecan Caramel Tart, Steamed Rice Cake, with coconut milk and banana fillings. The two fresh fruits were Guava and Red Dragonfruit. The guava had some plum sugar added to increase the flavours. Another interesting point was the chef recommended us to eat from the most intense flavours to the least. Rewarding completion of a wonderful meal.  

The bill on the night was $5,817. Reasonable. Service was good, with the staff attentive and friendly, explaining all the dishes to us in details. The chef also came to greet us and shared that from next month the signature lobster would be changed to river prawn, the original recipe in Le Du. More reason to return again for another Thai fine dining experience.