Hearing that this restaurant is officially opened after a period of soft launch, I come to the Mira Moon Hotel in Wanchai tonight, after the first amber rainstorm signal of the year, to experience what Executive Chef Wu and his team has prepared to impress our palate.
Located on the third floor of the hotel, the setting of the restaurant is quite weird, with tables surrounding a core of stairs leading up to the hotel lobby. The décor is interesting, with some calligraphy of fun proverbs, and jars of Chinese spices and herbs displayed on one side.
We have picked the Yao Menu ($880 each). The first course Seasonal Fresh Fruits Skewer 冰鎮時令蔬果 is a fancy appetizer, served on a plate with mist seeping out. Opening the glass container is a Sicily cherry tomato, with amber walnut and cream cheese embedded inside. The acidity of the tomato is refreshing, with the walnut and cheese providing nutty and savoury flavours to complement. A nice starter.
The second starter is Pickled Raw Prawn with Hua Diao & Fermented Rice Wine 糟鹵花雕生醃蝦. The mix of the two types of wines is a clever technique, so the prawn is infused with the fragrant flavours but not the bitterness. The raw prawn is fresh and has nice texture. Very good indeed. As my wife does not want to eat raw prawn the chef has arranged a cooked version for her thoughtfully.
The third course is the soup, and we have both upgraded, with me going for Double Boiled Abalone Soup, Fish Maw, Sea Cucumber & Mushroom 大宅佛跳牆 ($388 additional). The soup is delicious in taste, with lots of premium ingredients including abalone, fish maw, sea cucumber, conpoy, vegetarian shark’s fin, bamboo pith and morel mushroom. The poached quail egg is a touch of genius as it adds flavours and bite to the soup. Nice.
My wife has picked Braised Shredded Snake Soup, Bamboo Shoot & Lemon Leaves 古法蛇羹 ($288 additional). The soup is served steaming hot, with the shredded meat, bamboo shoots and shiitake mushroom supplemented with mandarin peel and some chrysanthemum petals, with also the finely cut lemon leaves and crisps on the side. An equally tasty alternative.
The fourth course is the beginning of the mains, and we have both opted for another upgrade, Braised Crab Cream & Fresh Crab Claw, Vegetarian Shark’s Fin 蟹黃銀針燴蟹鉗 ($280 additional each). The large crab claw is meaty and sweet, enhanced in flavours by the thick sauce made from crab cream and crab meat, which also has some vegetarian shark’s fin for premium experience but avoid hunting real sharks. Pleasant in both taste and appearance.
The fifth course is Abalone with Fermented Rice Sauce & Pepper Oil 乾燒麻香鮮鮑魚. The abalones are cut into large wedges but is easy to chew and not rubbery, and has been stir-fried with cauliflower, spring onion, Sichuan pepper and dried chili, a with a bit of numb spiciness but not excessive. For me, the cauliflower is even better than the abalone because of its sweetness. And more intense flavours. Nice.
The sixth course is Slow Cooked Wagyu with Homemade Sauce 文火和牛. The wagyu beef is braised to good tenderness, easily picked apart by chopsticks. Paired with a rich homemade sauce, the flavours are deeply infused inside, delicious on each bite. The deep-fried rice rolls underneath help us to soak up all the sauce and provides a contrast on the bite. The best dish on the night in my opinion.
The seventh course is Pan Fried Marinated Fish 生煎一夜鮮. The fish fillet has been marinated and dried overnight to intensify the flavours and then pan-fried to a beautiful crispness on the skin, finishing with a soy sauce that has been adjusted to give a wonderful umami taste and not overly salty, with plenty of finely shredded spring onion to add to fragrance. Having removed all bones, this dish is good for those who might have difficulty picking fish bones. Really nice.
The eighth course is Noodle in Soup, Cabbage & Shredded Yunnan Ham 手功煨麵. The noodle has a great al dente texture, and is served in a rich, intensely flavourful soup that is made from chicken and Yunnan ham, with some cabbage to reduce any greasiness from the soup. Even though it might look ordinary, it is extremely tasty, and I end up finishing the whole portion including the soup. A must order in my opinion.
The ninth and final course is Double Boiled Milk with Mashed Taro 芋茸燉鮮奶. On the surface it is the double boiled milk while underneath it is the mashed taro, sweet but not overly indulgent. The taro is not in season, so the flavours are relatively mild, and as a result this dessert is more dominated by the milk in taste. Still a good attempt and would be interested on how it tastes when the taro is good.
Service is good, with the staff friendly and attentive. Apart from one or two dishes they have not elaborated much on the courses which is a miss, as I can visualize the diners would be much more engaged with the food if there are better understanding on the ingredients and the techniques used in cooking. The bill on the night is $3,377 and will be much lower in price if we do not opt for so many extras. A nice place to try it out.
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