Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Spring Moon 嘉麟樓

This Michelin 1-star Cantonese restaurant is located in The Peninsula Hong Kong. Being the Chinese dining anchor of this prestigious hotel, it is already a guarantee of quality. We have come here a few times before, every time to great satisfaction. Tonight, we arrive at 6:30 sharp, with a lot of anticipation of what great dishes and dining experience is in store for us.

Coming up to the first floor, from its entrance one can immediately associate back to the tea house of 50/60s, with the hanging fan, plenty of beautiful porcelain, wooden floor, and the red carpet with traditional patterns. Seated at a table at the back, looking up the mezzanine floor got me thinking what does dining on that floor feels like, looking at other customers downstairs.

While enjoying a glass of the house champagne, the sommelier introduces us to a Spanish winery, Comando G, in Sierra de Gredos, not far from Madrid. Las Umbrias 2021 ($3,800) is their single vineyard old vine Grenache, with a wonderfully delicate and floral aromas, but packed with a good tannin and acidity, showing rich red fruit and minerality. A good match with the food as well.

We order Smoked Barbecued Hungarian Mangalica Pork with Honey ($478) to start. The pork comes from a special breed in Hungary, a prized domestic pig with thick curly hairs. The BBQ pork has been roasted perfectly, very tender and flavourful, with a nice char, and the honey glazed not too sweet. We also like the braised soy beans, a traditional side dish that virtually disappeared nowadays.

Next, we have Deep-Fried Crab Shell Stuffed with Crab Meat and Onions ($280 each). Instead of baking in oven, the chef has deep-fried the stuffed crab shell, with a thin crust of beautiful golden colour, but without any oily feeling. The stuffing is mostly crab meat, with only small amount of onion, unlike many other restaurants which got so many other fillings you feel being cheated.  

Then comes Wok-Seared Lobster and Scallop with XO Sauce ($1,028). This dish highlights the quality of the ingredients and the chef’s cooking skill. The lobster and scallop are both cooked impeccably, without a hint of under or over, with their original flavours showcase to the maximum. The sweet snap peas are also great in taste, tender and without any fibre. Amazing.

The last dish we have is Braised Eggplant with Sea Cucumber, Salted Fish and Broad Bean Chili Sauce in Clay Pot ($448). Served in a sizzling pot, the texture of eggplant is perfect, not too soft or hard. The sea cucumber has a good crunchy to contrast nicely with the eggplant. The taste is good, but I hope a bit more salted fish can be used to dial up the savoury flavours.  

Intending to order dessert, the manager instead provided a complimentary Chilled Mango Pudding. The signature dessert has plenty of mango chunks on top of a soft and rich pudding, with also some strawberries to add to the presentation and flavours. The pudding is not too sweet, just the perfect degree to reward the palate without making one feel guilty from a health perspective.

There is also a Petits Fours including Cashew Nut and Lotus Paste Puff and Watermelon Cake. The former has a crumbling buttery crust with delicious lotus root paste, not too sweet, with a piece of cashew nut on top. The other is an appealing layer cake, with the three colours of red, white and green resembling a slice of watermelon. A fantastic finale to the wonderful meal.

The bill on the night is $7,051. Service is very good, with the staff all friendly and attentive, however I hope they can provide more detailed introductions to the dishes as that will help the diners to understand and appreciate the food much better. But in terms of overall experience, it is still one of the best Cantonese restaurants in town.