Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Shanghai Plus 尚海薈

Hearing that a new Shanghai restaurant had just opened at Shui On Centre in Wanchai, we came on the Ching Ming holiday night to try it out. It was on the 3/F of the renovated mall, taking over the whole floor.

Seated at a table facing the window looking out to HKCEC, the design of the restaurant was neat and pleasant, with plenty of space between tables, good lightings, and some modern arts decorating the walls. There were some VIP rooms at the back for larger groups.

We order the Dinner Set Hu Pai 滬派 ($1,088 each), starting with four appetizers. The Braised Eggplant in Soy Bean Paste 醬燒茄子 was my favourite, soft with nice flavours. The Chilled Crystal Ham 水晶肴肉 was somehow different in taste than what we would expect, not having sufficient sourness. The Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs 糖醋小排骨 were decent, while the Smoked Pomfret with Osmanthus 桂花煙燻鯧魚 was quite good.

Next was Braised Fish Maw Soup with Yellow Eels and Black Fungus 花膠黃鱔羹. The thick soup had an abundance of ingredients, with the black fungus giving a crunchy texture in contrast to the soft eel and fish maw. It was served with chrysanthemum and lemongrass to add fragrance to the soup. Delicious and filling.

For the main course, we both liked the Sautéed Crystal Tiger Prawn 玻璃蝦球伴尚海乾燒汁. The prawn was flavourful and crunchy, sitting on top of a turnip slice with a cavity stuffed with some baby spinach, finishing with House-made Chilli Bean Sauce with Sweet Rice Wine. The sauce had the perfect balance of spiciness, giving a nice stimulus to the palate but not masking the delicate flavours of the prawn or vegetables. No wonder it was their signature.

Next was Stir-fried Angus Beef Tenderloin 老干媽鮮菌炒安格斯牛柳粒. The beef was flavourful and not over-cooked, with the black bean chilli sauce adding nice savoury and spiciness. Together with some fresh mushrooms, peas and bell peppers, it was nicely presented and good in taste as well.

The Stir-fried Choy Sum with Salted Pork 鹹肉炒菜心 might seem the simplest dish but was easy to get wrong. While I liked the salted pork which had added savoury taste to the sweet vegetable, the choy sum was a bit too greasy, with the excessive oil affecting the enjoyment.

A premium twist was the 6-head Whole Abalone and Noodles 原隻6頭鮑魚蔥油拌麵. It was another of my favourites, with the noodles nicely done, good in texture, and flavourful from the spring onion oil. The abalone was tender and could be cut easily with a knife, deep in umami delicacies.

Dessert was House-made Black Sesame Rice Dumplings 自家製湯丸. The dumplings were very good, soft and delicious with the black sesame fillings appropriate in sweetness. The sweet soup was prepared with the rice lees and osmanthus, fragrant but a bit too sweet. If the soup could dial down a bit on sugar it would be fantastic.

Service was good, with the staff friendly and attentive, though they could help to introduce the dishes and perhaps engage customers more proactively. The bill on the night, after a 15% Brilliant F&B discount, was $2,120. It was reasonable and with a bit of fine-tuning it would be a nice place to enjoy Shanghai cuisine, and I would like to return to try some of their other dishes in future.