Wineshark Weekend Cooking - Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce 豉汁蒸排骨

Ingredients (for 4):

• Pig's ribs - 1 lb
• Red chili - 1 
• Preserved black beans - 2 tbsp
• Garlic - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Soy sauce - 1 tsp
• Oyster sauce - 1 tsp
• Bean paste - 1/2 tsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Clean the pig ribs and wipe dry with kitchen paper.

2. Mix the minced garlic, salt, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, bean paste, Chinese yellow wine and white pepper powder together.

3. Add 3 tsp of tapioca starch to the ribs, mix well. 

4. Add the marinade in, mix well. 

5. Add 2 tbsp of oil, mix well. Allow to marinate for 4 hours.

6. Cut the red chili into small pieces.

7. Toast the preserved black beans on low heat until fragrant. 

8. Put the ribs on the serving plate, scatter the preserved black beans and chili on top.

9. Steam for 9 minutes. 

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - A Club 名人館

This restaurant is located on 1/F of Dorsett Kwun Tong, and I believe it used to have association with the famous Chiu Chow cuisine Ah Hung Delicacies, but checking with the staff they are no longer related now.

The décor and setting have a traditional Chinese restaurant vibe, with lots of bright and gold-colour elements. While it might be a bit old-school, the place is clean and comfortable, with plenty of space between tables. We are seated at the corner.

Starting with a snack, we have Bamboo Charcoal Crispy Tofu ($18 each). The tofu has a crispy thin crust of bamboo charcoal, with some deep-fried garlic scattered on top. Seasoned well, appetizing and flavourful, it is definitely a good complement with icy cold beer.

The Sweet and Sour Pork ($268) has a modern twist, with the deep-fried pork loin served on a large bowl of ice, ensuring the crunchy texture of the pork can be maintained and creating the silky threads from the melted sugar. There are some fresh fruits on the side too to give a bit of acidity and sweetness, nicely matched with the flavours of the sauce used.

Each of us has ordered a soup, with me going for Stewed Bamboo Shredded Chicken with Agaricus Blazei and Conch Head ($88), while my wife has Apricot Juice Pork Lung Stew Soup ($88). The soup is served in a small clay teapot and cup, so it has taken many pourings to finish. But the soup is delicious, rich in flavours. Comparing the two, the pork lung stew soup is our preference.

Obviously, in coming to a Chiu Chow restaurant, we need to sample its Marinated Goose Slices, and we have added Layered Pork Intestine in Aspic as well ($328). The goose meat is tender, infused well with complex flavours but not too salty. The pork intestines are equally good, soft and delicious. The quality of the marinade is on par with what I would expect from Ah Hung.

We finish with Claypot Rice with Red Dates and Eel ($268). A signature dish, it is prepared tableside with the staff re-heating the claypot and then pouring some Chinese liquour on the pot before torching. The nice fragrance from the alcohol has seeped into the rice, with the eel seasoned well and red dates adding a hint of sweetness. It is of a large portion so we cannot finish and has to pack some home.

Service is good, with the staff friendly and attentive. The overall dining experience is very comfortable and joyful. The bill on the night is $1,236 which is reasonable as well. While it is a bit far from the MTR station, it is still a nice place to consider if you are in the Kwun Tong neighbourhood.

 

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Udatsu Sushi

This sushi restaurant is located at The Stable in FWD House 1881, at the exact location where Araki used to be. There are two dining sessions for dinner, and I have picked the earlier one starting at 6pm. Sharp on time the staff comes out to greet us and brings us in.

The setting is basically the same as Araki, with the sushi counter in the middle, but with dimmer light and more contemporary décor. The chef serving us on the day is the sous chef as head chef Hiroki Nakamura was on holiday.

The Omakase Menu ($2,580) starts with a Saba Roll where the chef has put the seasonal mackerel on a piece of nori and then adding some vegetable on top, before rolling it up. The veggie provides a contrast on the bite to the soft mackerel. Quite good.

Next comes the Smoked Kama-Toro, with the fatty jaw meat of the tuna having been aged for five days. The chef then grills it over hay briefly, before cutting into thin slices, put in a bowl, and then smoked with applewood to infuse with a nice fragrance.

The third course is Awabi, with the chef cooking the Fukuoka abalone and putting the cut pieces in a dashi that has got some seaweed, with the soup full of umami flavours. The abalone is wonderful in taste, but a bit too rubbery in my opinion.

Transitioning to the sushi, the first one features local Unagi. The eel has been steamed and lightly grilled, then allowed to cool down before kneading into sushi. With a soft and 'melt in the mouth' texture, it is good to see the interest to showcase local fish here, similar to Araki.

The next one is something I have not tried before. The chef has prepared different types of Yasai, seasonal vegetables including yam chips, sweet potatoes, cucumber, and cutting into fine shreds to make a temaki. The taste is quite good in fact and helps to cleanse the palate.

Then it is the local Chairomaruhata Sushi. The Green Grouper has a soft texture and clean taste. While the taste is not very flavourful, it has nice umami notes and is another example of the chef using local fish, which reminds me of Sushi Zinc.

The fourth piece is Bafun Uni Gunkan-Maki, with the beautiful, bright orange-coloured sea urchin coming from Hokkaido and has a nice sweetness without any weird taste. While it is not as creamy as the purple sea urchin its sweeter taste made them the favourite among many people.

Taking a break from sushi, the chef serves us homemade Satusma-age, or deep-fried fish cake. Cutting in half, the fish cake is still steaming hot, with some gingkoes added inside to give a contrast to the bouncy texture of the fish cake. Quite nice.

Next comes Kegani, with the chef mixing the horsehair crab meat with some vegetable and ponzu jelly, to present a refreshing course. The delicate crab meat is delicious, stimulated by the acidity of the ponzu, with the vegetable giving some extra bite.

Returning to sushi, the Chu-Toro has a rich taste, with a good balance of fatty and lean meat. From the appearance the tuna looks like it has been aged for quite some time, but I did not check with the chef on how long. While the taste is good, the brown edges should be trimmed to give a better presentation.

The next is O-Toro Sushi. The chef has used red hot charcoal to lightly burnt the surface of the fatty tuna to revitalize the fish oil, making it even softer on the bite. The flavours of the tuna are amazing, but again the appearance may not be that appealing in my opinion.

Then comes Marinated Japanese Trout, with the salmon wrapped in bamboo leaf before steaming. Upon unwrapping there is a nice aroma infused into the fish. It is also paired with some nameko mushroom which gives a bit of nutty taste.

The last part of the sushi starts with Sumi-Ika, with the chef cutting the surface to make it less chewy. Season with a bit of salt, the sweetness of the cuttlefish is highlighted impeccably. I forgot to ask but I believe the cuttlefish is probably caught in local waters as well.

The next sushi is interesting. On the surface it is a typical Kuruma-Ebi, or tiger prawn. But underneath the chef has added some Ama-Ebi, or sweet shrimps, so that there are different taste and texture to enjoy. A creative way and also first time I experience the combination of the two in a single piece.

Having the Bafun-Uni earlier, this time the chef prepares a sushi using two different kinds of sea urchin from Miyazaki. He also uses a piece of deep-fried seaweed to hold the sea urchin on top of shari, instead of making a gunkan, offering a nice contrast of crispy seaweed and creamy sea urchin.

The final piece of sushi is Tuna Maki, featuring different cuts of the tuna including akami, chu-toro and o-toro, menegi, and takuan. A wide combination of different flavours and texture, it is also a very filling piece to ensure no one will feel hungry.

With a hot Miso Soup to warm the stomach, there is also a piece of Tamago which has a sweet, caramelized surface, with the egg rich in umami taste. The chef shared that it is made from 90% egg yolk, just like pudding.

The dessert includes a slice of Melon, Yuzu Yokan and Miso Ice-Cream, with the latter two all homemade by the chef. A rewarding and satisfying sweetness completes the whole dinner. We have a good chat with the chef also, who can speak good English.

Service is good, with the whole restaurant having only two of us in the evening so we have undivided attention. Including a bottle of sake ($1,680), the bill on the night is $7,610. Overall quality and presentation are not as impressive when compared with other restaurants of the same price range in town, but I have confidence they can work it out to improve.

Wineshark Weekend Cooking - Steamed Rice Rolls with Pork Jowl in Black Bean Sauce 豉汁豬頸肉蒸腸粉

Ingredients (for 4):

• Pork jowl meat - 300g
• Rice roll - 450g
• Black beans - 2 tbsp
• Minced garlic - 1 tbsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 1/2 tsp
• Tapioca starch - 1 tsp
• Red chili - 1

Procedures:

1. Cut the pork jowl meat into slices. 

2. Cut the rice rolls into sections about 4-5cm long.

3. Remove the seeds of the red chili and cut into thin shreds.

4. Crush the black beans.

5. Mix the crushed black beans with minced garlic, sugar, soy sauce, Chinese yellow wine and 2 tbsp of water.

6. Marinate the pork jowl with the sauce for at least 10 minutes. 

7. Add in tapioca starch and mix well. Then add in 2 tbsp of oil before steaming.

8. Place the rice rolls on the steaming dish evenly.

9. Put the pork jowl on top, together with the marinade. Scatter the red chili on top.

10. Steam in high heat for 10 minutes. Then serve.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Xihe Ya Yuan 羲和雅苑

This Peking restaurant is located at Harbour City in TST and is the branch of the restaurant of the same name from Beijing, famous for its Peking duck. It is right on the harbour front, with an outdoor terrace, so customers can enjoy a wonderful view, especially during sunset.

The decoration is neat with plenty of ‘old Beijing’ elements put into the design, including brick wall, wooden partition panels, and lanterns. The large tables are on the window side, with some banquette seats on the other side of the corridor. The latter can still enjoy a nice view.

We order the Summer Menu ($1,588) which is good for two people. The starter is Boiled Abalone Japanese Style, with the abalone having a good bite but not difficult to chew, infused with deep umami flavours from the sauce, with some marinated radish on the side. A nice starter.

Next comes Braised Fish Maw in Supreme Pumpkin Broth. Signature soup of the restaurant, the broth has a rich and good taste, a nice sweetness from the pumpkin but balanced well with the savoury flavours of the broth. The large piece of fish maw is premium on the appearance, with also a good texture and no wonder this is one of the must order here.

The Grandma Zhang’s Pork Ball is a braised pork ball in dark sauce, with the minced meat soft and fluffy, big in flavours. On its own it may be too heavy, so the chef has thoughtfully provided a bit of rice on the side to go with the meat, and enable customers to savour the sauce as well.

Then it is Baked Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk, with the prawns cooked together with the salted egg yolk, to create an ‘evil’ yet highly savoury delicacy, which are finger-licking good. The prawns are of decent size too.

The Xihe Signature Peking Duck (half set) is apparently the star in the menu and is also what got this restaurant its fame. The duck is carved on table side by the chef in three servings, one is the neck skin, one is the breast meat, and the last is the thigh meat, offering different texture and enjoyment.

To pair with the duck there are also a range of condiments, including the interesting pop rock candy, mustard, blueberry sauce, and the traditional BBQ sauce. The flavours are not bad, but perhaps because I have too much expectation, I think it is only decent overall.

The veggie is Stir-fried Cauliflower and Sliced Pork Belly, served in a sizzling hot stone pot. This is probably my other favourite after the soup, with the slight spiciness in the dish appealing and appetizing, the pork belly providing a fragrant note and flavours to enrich the taste of cauliflower.

The Crab Meat and Seafood Soaked Rice has a tasty broth, with plenty of different seafood like shrimp, scallops, crab meat, together with zucchini and shiitake mushroom to bring up the fragrance. A rewarding anchor but honestly by now we are all so full that we can barely finish it.

The final course is Bird’s Nest in Coconut Milk, and what I like is that this dessert is not too sweet, and together with the bird’s nest it is a premium and delicate finale to a big meal, to our satisfaction.

The bill on the night is $1,791 and quite reasonable. However, when I asked a staff to slow down the service (the first four courses come at the same time basically), her response was simply the food would come after order was made, without any hint or effort to help, which can upset most people as you can imagine. The service needs to be seriously looked into.