Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Man Mano

This Italian restaurant is located in Citygate Outlets in Tung Chung, focusing on providing artisanal pasta who are freshly made in-house. Arriving on the night, after the Christmas holidays, the shopping mall is quite busy still but unfortunately the restaurant is pretty quiet.

Seated at a spacious circular banquette, the décor has a cozy, comfortable design reminiscent of a house in Italy, with arch columns, wooden beams on the roof, and brick tiles on the floor. Through the glass windows one can also see the kitchen where the pasta is being made.

We order the Dinner Set Menu ($290 each). For the Antipasto, we start with Meatballs. Made from beef and spicy nduja, the three pieces of meatballs are tasty and juicy, with tomato sauce, some chopped basil and parmesan cheese. This is in fact the best among the dishes on the night.

The other Antipasto is Proscuitto, with 100g of 24-month Parma ham from the famous Antica Corte Pallavicina ($55 additional). Not too salty, the ham is however quite dried even after the chef has drizzled some olive oil, which looks like it has been cut and left in open for a long while. 

Coming to the Homemade Fresh Pasta we choose Linguine Vongole ($20 additional) with clams, chili, garlic, and parsley. The clams are fresh and tasty, while the sauce is flavourful. The pasta, even though is al dente in texture, has entangled altogether. A bit of a let-down as the restaurant is showcasing its pasta.

For the Principale, we have Veal Parmigiana ($80 additional). The breaded loin of veal has been deep-fried, and then added with tomato sauce and grilled mozzarella, with some chopped basil. A very large portion which we can barely finish even after splitting, the veal is soft and the crust not too thick. Quite nice.

Last is Dolce, with both of us ordering Tiramisu. With lady finger soaked in espresso on the bottom, plenty of mascarpone on top and dusted with chocolate powder, it has all the right flavours but with a more rustic and homemade style true to the vibe of the restaurant. Nice.

Service is good, with the staff friendly and interestingly all of them are not locals. Maybe targeting to serve a more international clientele because of its location? The bill on the night is $809 and good value for money. I hope the pasta can see more attention as it is supposed to be its key offerings.

Wineshark Cooking Class - Baked Omelette with Fish Intestine 魚腸焗蛋

Ingredients (for 4):

• Fish intestines - 6
• Rice vinegar - 1 cup
• Lemon - 2
• Fried dough - 1
• Eggs - 4
• Tangerine peel - 1/2
• Spring onion - 1
• Coriander - 1
• White pepper powder - 2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Put the fish intestines in a bowl with water. Cut open the fish intestines and clean the inside.

2. Add a bunch of coarse salt and wash thoroughly. Then rinse with water.

3. Heat a pot of water to boiling and then add in the fish intestines. Cook until the fat is almost all gone.

4. Remove the fish intestines into a bowl with rice vinegar, with lemon juice, to dissolve the remaining fat.

5. Rinse the fish intestines and put in icy water. Add lemon juice. 

6. Cut the fried dough into pieces.

7. Cut the spring onion and coriander into small pieces. Soak the tangerine peel and cut into thin shreds.

8. Put the fish intestines in a clay bowl. 

9. Pour in the whisked eggs. Then scatter the tangerine peel on top.

10. Put half of the fried dough on the surface. Put in pre-heated oven at 200 degree Celsius to cook for 20 minutes. 

11. Place the remaining fried dough on top, along with the spring onion and coriander. Sprinkle with white pepper powder and some lemon juice, then serve while hot.

12.

Wineshark Cooking Class - Fail-proof Pork Chop 不敗煎豬扒

Ingredients (for 4):

• Pork chop - 3 pieces
• Egg - 1
• Onion - 1
• Bell peppers - 2-3 baby 
• Soy sauce - 3 tbsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Tapioca starch - 1 tsp
• Water - 3 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Rinse the pork chop and then tap on both ends with the back of the chopper.

2. Marinate the pork chop with soy sauce, sugar, and water. 

3. Add the whisked egg in, then add tapioca starch and mix well. Leave it for one hour.

4. Chop the onion into shreds.

5. Cut the bell peppers into small pieces.

6. Heat the pan with oil, then pan-fry the pork chop until golden on one side. Cover with lid to retain the moisture of the pork chop.

7. Flip the pork chop over and continue to pan-fry the other side until golden. Then cover with lid similarly to cook it through.

8. Remove the pork chop on the serving plate. Cut it to pieces if desired.

9. Add the shredded onion into the pan, and cook until softened. Season with a pinch of sugar and salt. Then add the bell peppers in. Season with a bit of soy sauce. 

10. Pour on top of the pork chop before serving.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Man Yuen Restaurant 文苑飯莊

This Chinese restaurant is located in Wong Tai Sin, in the shopping centre of Tin Ma Court, one of HK’s oldest housing estates. Under CK Poon, the former general manager of Forum, the famous Michelin 3-star, and Chef Adam Wong, this restaurant aims to achieve the same prestige, but in a district that no one will come to think of regarding fine cuisine.

The restaurant is spacious, with good lighting, neat and modern décor, exhibiting a friendly and high-end ambience. On one end there is a large cellar, featuring a nice assortment of good wines. After bringing us some honey walnuts as a starter, the staff helpfully provides us some recommendations on the dishes.

We start with Pan-Fried Honey-Glazed Golden Oyster 龍眼蜜餞金蠔 ($218). There are four pieces of gold oyster, with each fatty and moist, having the surface glazed with the more delicate and fragrant longan honey. The chef also adds a bit of finely shredded fried ginger and some chopped spring onion on top to remove the minerality of the oysters for those who are very sensitive. A great start.

Next, we have each ordered a Five Snake Soup 太史五蛇羹 ($188 each). The snake soup is authentic in taste, with plenty of shredded snake and chicken meat, wood-ear, shiitake mushroom, and aged tangerine peel. Adding the finely shredded lemon leaves, chrysanthemum leaves, and crunchy doughs enhance the fragrance and texture. It’s been a while since I have a snake soup and this one delivers.

One of the recommendations the staff made is Baked Prawns with Vermicelli in Hot Pot 薑蔥大蝦粉絲煲 ($268). Served in a sizzling hot claypot, there are plenty of spring onion and ginger to give nice fragrance, with the vermicelli absorbing the flavours of the prawns to make it super tasty. The prawns are meaty and nice, with quite many pieces as well. Good in value and flavours.

Another traditional dish we order is Slow-Cooked Pomelo Peel with Shrimp Roe 蝦子慢煮柚皮 ($138). The pomelo skin has been properly processed, without the bitter notes and weird taste, very soft in texture. Paired with a thick, nice abalone sauce, with plenty of shrimp roes dusted on top, gives a delicious savoury taste. Even the vegetables on the side are trimmed beautifully to add to the presentation. The attention to details is apparent.

Another of the recommendation is Flowery Grouper in Two Ways 杉斑兩吃 ($680). The first one is Stir-Fried Fillets with Seasonal Greens 翡翠炒球. There are many pieces of the grouper fillet, cooked perfectly to remain tender, with broccoli and bell peppers. Seasoned well, even without oyster sauce it is enough in flavours.

The other is Fish Head & Belly with Bitter Melon in Hot Pot 涼瓜燜頭腩. My favourite in the evening, the fish head and belly are really delicious, with the black beans and soya sauce bringing forth the flavours, served in the sizzling hot claypot. The bitter melon and bean curd sheets are equally good. The only suggestion is that the staff should ask the kitchen to serve this dish a bit later when we still have a table full of food.

Service is good, with the staff attentive and friendly. The bill on the night is $1,920 and considering what we have I would say the price is reasonable. I look forward to this restaurant to continue receiving recognition, and perhaps soon we may see it being spotlighted in the Michelin Guide?

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Yuan 圓

Located on Hollywood Road, this modern Chinese vegetarian restaurant, under Executive Chef Ronald Shao, brings the customers to discover the plant-based ingredients and how they can create dishes that are exceptional in taste and finesse, in a fine-dining format.

With light-colour tone and good lighting, the overall ambience is comfortable and relaxing. The open kitchen on one side allows diners to see the team in action. We are seated at a corner facing the street to enjoy some good privacy throughout our dinner.

Picking the 12-course menu ($1,280), the staff brings us some complimentary condiments to start, which include pecans, pickled cabbage, and seaweed flavoured cashew nuts. Perfect snacks to enjoy throughout the meal.

I order a bottle of Sparkling Yuzu Genmaicha ($288) which is locally made. Highly refreshing, the sparkling tea has nice yuzu notes while the Japanese brown rice green tea is mild and have a slight nutty flavour.

The start of the dinner is a welcome drink, the five green juice, which is a healthy cocktail made from blending bitter melon, celery, cucumber, kale, and green apple. Seasoned just right, it is not too sweet or green in taste, smooth and delicious.

The first amuse bouche is a Crisp Cone with some Chinese Celery, Dried Egg Curd, and Shimeji Mushroom stuffed in. The different components provide contrast in texture and flavours, with the overall a nice combination of delights.

The second amuse bouche features Chinese Bun, which is made to a spiral beehive shape. One of them is steamed while the other is deep-fried. Paired with Olive Vegetables dip, the savoury taste of the dip is so fantastic I end up putting the whole bun in to savour the last drop of it.

Coming to the appetizer, the first is a salad made from Pomelo, Tricolour Quinoa, and Tomatoes, putting on top of a rice crisp seasoned with some seaweed powder. The sweetness of the pomelo balances with the acidity of tomatoes, with the texture of the quinoa a nice contrast with the crisp.

The other appetizer features the Pickled Carrot, Celtuce, Daikon, and Watermelon Radish, thinly sliced and folded in a colourful presentation, with some Rattan Papper and Maltose powder on the side to give a bit of spicy note to complement. Refreshing and appealing on the flavours.

The Entrée reminds me of the salty soymilk for breakfast, with the chef adding some thinly sliced Chinese Fried-Dough to the soft Homemade Tofu, with some Pickled Vegetable to give a bit of crunchy bite and flavours. The final touch of a foam made from soy sauce gives some savoury and salty taste.

The other entrée features Pomelo Peel, which has been deep-fried, and paired with a Sweet & Sour Plum sauce. On the side is the Prickly Waterlily, with a bit of spicy taste, and mustard leaf, plus some black olives puree. A good mix of the different taste makes this a complex but enjoyable dish.

The Soup is made by blending Watercress with some cashew nuts to form a thick mouthfeel, with some Peach Gum added for both its health and texture. On the side is a Yogurt Cracker with some Seasonal Fruits, a bit out of place with the soup but I rather like that.

Coming to the main dish, Preserved Watermelon wrapping some shredded cucumber inside, with Saffron on top. In the middle is the Hmong Red Soup, showing some exotic spice and flavours, while there are some different colour cauliflowers and a piece of potato on the side.

The other main dish features different mushrooms. The Button Mushroom has some white miso added to provide savoury taste, while the Baked Portobello Mushroom is stuffed with oyster and morel mushroom, with some cheddar and mozzarella cheese on the surface. The last one is White Ferula Mushroom with some tamarind paste. My favourite on the evening, each mushroom has its unique taste and texture, delicious to the full extent.

Another Palate Cleanser, the Fresh Fennel and Citrus Jelly is a true piece of arts. Inside the translucent agar agar jelly are pieces of grapefruit, with some fresh fennel as well, further decorated with some edible flowers and greens. Refreshing and helps to prepare our palate for the next course.

The other main course features Fried Tofu, with some Gum Karaya on top, which is similar to bird’s nest in texture and taste. On the side, in a rainbow shape, is a layered zucchini pumpkin. Paired with a Chili Tomato Sauce, really delicious with each ingredients harmonized and showcased. Another of my favourite dish in the evening.

For the Staple Food, it is Chestnut and Multigrain Rice, with great flavours from the sauce, dates and tangerine peel and mushroom added to the rice, and the chef also added some crispy rice made from quinoa to increase the complexity in texture. It is so good I wish I can ask for a refill.

The Dessert is another wonderful creation by the chef, highlighting different combinations of ingredients and cooking techniques. The 9 Sweet Grid include dragon fruit in green grape juice, pumpkin in sweet osmanthus, aged tangerine peel and red bean cake, pear in elderflower, grapefruit and strawberry chewy candy, Chinese pea cake, chestnut coffee, coconut milk taro cake, and blackcurrant truffle chocolate. An indulgent treat.

The last serving is Chinese Dessert Tea, with red date, wolfberries, longan and diced pear. The tea is not too sweet, with the warmth providing a soothing sensation to the stomach, wrapping up a wonderful and contented meal, with a good sense of health and comfort.

Service is very good, with the staff very friendly and happy to share the ingredients of the dishes. The bill on the night is $3,230 and considering the food quality, ambience of the dining, and the overall experience, it is a place I highly recommend for people who want to try vegetarian fine dining.