Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - L' Envol

This French restaurant has been awarded Michelin 2-star, and is located on 3/F of The St. Regis Hong Kong in Wanchai. Before the day, the restaurant called to reconfirm booking, and helpfully reminded us that the last order for the 8-course Signature Menu was 7pm. 

Arriving earlier as a result we were seated comfortably at a spacious table. The setting is neat, offering a simplistic décor yet showing contemporary luxurious ambience, with fine details and different materials used. The large windows let in the natural daylight, the last rays of sunset, to accompany our meal. 

Choosing the Signature Menu ($2,388) with wine pairing ($1,688), we were served a welcome drink and some canapes to begin. The drink is a tea infused with lemon, a good refreshing start for our meal. 

On the plate the three canapes include a tomato gazpacho cube with small dices of cured ham, Alaska crab meat with dill on rice cracker, and smoked salmon on gingerbread. Each of them is tasty and offers a different profile, with the sourness of the rich tomato mixing with the savoury of the ham, the soft crab meat contrasting with the crispy cracker, and the smoky salmon balancing the sweet and slightly spicy of the gingerbread. Visually appealing and amazing in taste. 

There is another canape with eel, as well as pieces of cracker with seaweed, pairing with a sour cream dipping sauce. Both nice in taste, they are a treat for the start before even the first course. I cannot help to order a glass of Pierre et Francois Hure ‘4 elements’ Champagne ($380) to accompany, a grower champagne made from purely Chardonnay.

The start of the menu is Le Caviar Ossetra Tsar Imperial Petrossian. The mackerel is sliced and marinated with a sauce to highlight the delicate taste of the fish, plus having a good bite on texture, reminding us of carpaccio. The Ossetra caviar gives a slightly poppy texture and a umami note to enhance the flavours. Really great in taste, and the wine paired is Frederic Savart L’ouverture Premier Cru, another grower champagne but this one is a Blanc de Noirs made from Pinot Meunier.

The second course is L’oursin d’Hokkaido. The chef created this dish when he was working at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, recreating a can of caviar but in fact consists of three layers, with Hokkaido sea urchin on top, followed by crunchy fennel in the middle, and some sweet Gamberoni prawn meat at the bottom. A true feast of flavours, the soft and creamy sea urchin is certainly fresh and without any weird note, with the fennel giving a contrasting texture while the prawn emphasizing on the sweetness. The wine paired is Domaine Denizot Damocles made from Sauvignon Blanc, with a fuller body than the traditional Sancerre which is good match with the dish. 

The third course is La Rascasse. The seared scorpionfish is served with some nicely prepared vegetables, and then a rich, tasty minestrone is poured in. The fish has a great taste, with the flesh firm and flavourful, seasoned beautifully. What blown me away is the minestrone, with the intense flavours highly complementary to the fish. I cannot help to use the bread to scoop up the last drop on the plate. The wine paired is also interesting, with Domaine Comte Abbatucci Faustine Vieilles Vignes from Corsica, made with the Italian white variety Vermentino.

The fourth course is La Crevette Carabineros, with charcoal-grilled carabineros, the prized Spanish red prawn, together with some black pudding, smoked salt butter and green apple sauce to balance the strong flavours. A big fan of carabineros myself, this one provides the sensory excitement, with the prawn yolk so rich in taste. Again, the bread is useful to help savour every bit of essence here. The wine paired is from Domaine Jean-Marc Vincent, Santenay 1er Cru Le Beaurepaire Blanc, offering a creamy and full-bodied Chardonnay which is a good match with the prawn. 

There are two options for the fifth course, and we have chosen Le Pigeon de Ploumerez, slow-cooked pigeon fillet, with pieces of Noirmoutier potato on the side, each having a piece of the Sobrassada sausage on top. Here the chef showcased the characters of the special ingredients, with the potato coming from Noirmoutier Island, picking up the seaweed flavours from the soil. The sausage is from Spain, made from pork with paprika and other spices. The pigeon is cooked perfectly, tender and juicy, with the wine paired, Castello Romitorio Rosso di Montalcino, going very well. 

The sixth course is another specialty. With the staff pulling a cheese cart in front of us, the Les Fromages de Notre Cellier, or L’Envol Cheese Selection, certainly offers one of the widest choices in town per my experience. We ended up choosing a total of 7, with some goat cheese and brie, a 48-month comte, and some blue cheeses. With also selection of different condiments to accompany, like white chocolate sheet, honeycombs, quince jelly and assortment of biscuits, it is a true wonderland for cheese lovers. The wine paired is D’Oliveiras Verdelho Madeira, an aged fortified wine which got a great nutty and balance of sweetness and sourness to enjoy with the cheeses.

The seventh course is La Douceur Surprise, the pastry chef’s surprise pre-dessert of some shaved ice made from a mix of lime and pear juice (if I remember correctly), topped with some nice cream cheese to give sweetness and a smooth texture. A refreshing and palate cleansing one to get us prepared for the final dessert. 

The eighth and last course is La Fraise des Bois, a beautifully presented dessert with a rose champagne sorbet on the bottom, then with a layer of wild strawberries, a foam with rich cream and lime shavings, plus some rhubarb compote and sauce. It got the right balance of sweetness with the acidity from the fruit, light yet also indulgent, and with the extremely limited Ornus dell’Ornellaia, a sweet wine from late harvest Petit Manseng, it is a rewarding and great finale to our wonderful meal. 

Wrapping up are some Petits Fours, with again the staff pulling the cart displaying all the choices, making it difficult for us to choose. Service was very good throughout, with the staff attentive and coming to explain each course, and they did a great job in the choice of the wines selected for each pairing. The bill was $7,830 and while it was not cheap but the food and wine did deliver their promise in this highly-acclaimed restaurant, and seeing that it was fully booked on the night further reinforced the support from its diners. 

Wineshark Cooking Class - Soy-Marinated Chicken in Electric Rice Cooker 電飯煲玫瑰露豉油雞

Ingredients (for 4):

• Chicken - 1
• Ginger - 4 slices
• Spring onion - 2 sprigs
• Chinese rose wine - 2 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 8 tbsp
• Dark soy sauce - 1 tbsp
• Sugar - 3 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Rinse the chicken and drain well, set aside.

2. Cut the ginger into slices.

3. Put the Chinese rose wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar in the rice cooker. Turn to rice cooking cycle.

4. Put the chicken, breast down, in the rice cooker. 

5. For every 10-15 minutes, flip the chicken over and do it for 4 times to ensure the chicken is cooked through.

6. Cut the chicken into pieces. 

7. Cut the spring onion into shreds.

8. Cook to reduce the remaining sauce, then pour on the chicken and put the spring onion on top.

Wineshark Cooking Class - Deep-fried Squabs with Fermented Beancurd Sauce 腐乳紅燒乳鴿

Ingredients (for 4):

• Squad - 2
• Water - 1.5 litre + 75 ml 
• Ginger slices - 20 g
• Lemongrass - 20 g
• Star anise - 3
• Bay leaves - 10
• Clove - 1 tbsp
• Cinnamon - 5 g
• Liquorice - 5 g
• White peppercorns - 3 g
• Sand ginger - 10 slices
• Fennel seeds - 2 tbsp
• Rock sugar - 170 g
• Salt - 115 g
• Fermented beancurd - 115 g + 3 pieces
• Shaoxing wine - 20 g + 2 tbsp
• Chinese rose wine - 20 g
• Maltose - 4 g
• White vinegar - 20 g
• Red vinegar - 1 g
• Double-distilled rice wine - 10 g
• Chinese rose wine - 1 g
• Sugar - 1 tbsp
• Sesame oil - 1 tsp

Procedures:

1. Prepare the marinade ingredients, including ginger slices, lemongrass, star anise, bay leaves, clove, cinnamon, liquorice, white peppercorns, sand ginger and fennel seeds. 

2. Add the ingredients to 1.5 litre of water, and when it boils again, turn to low heat and continue to simmer for one hour. 

3. Mix rock sugar, salt, fermented beancurd, Shaoxing wine and Chinese rose wine together.

4. Add the mixture to the marinade. Stir well and cook until all the rock sugar is dissolved. Then turn off the heat.

5. Remove the claws of the squab, then clean up the fat, inside and throat. Drip dry.

6. Put the squab in the marinade, and turn on the heat. When the marinade boils again, lower the heat and let it cook for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and cover with lid to let it simmer for another 25 minutes.

7. Add 75ml of water to maltose, and stir in hot water bath to melt and mix well.

8. Add white vinegar, red vinegar and mix well. Let it cool down.

9. Add double-distilled rice wine and Chinese rose wine to complete the basting sauce. 

10. Remove the squab and use hot water to wash the skin to remove the oil. 

11. Brush with the basting sauce, and then put in oven to dry up.

12. Put the squab in air-fryer or deep-fry with hot oil until crispy.

13. Mix the fermented beancurd, Shaoxing wine, sugar and sesame oil as dipping sauce.

14. Serve by cutting the squab in halves.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Hokkaidon 北海丼

This Japanese restaurant is in Cityplaza, specializing in ‘donburi’, meaning ‘bowl of rice dish’, with fish, meat or other ingredients served over a bowl of rice. As its name highlighted, they proudly feature fresh seafood coming from Hakkaido on the menu, prepared in the format of chirashi.

Seated comfortably, the first thing I noticed was the mural art of indigo waves on the wall, reminding me of the rolling sea where the seafood comes from. The cypress furniture offers a sense of neat and tidiness, and overall, the atmosphere is friendly and pleasant.

We ordered a few things along with two dons. While the staff did tell us that one of the starters would take 45 minutes to prepare, my Signature Hokkai Don ($298) ended up being served first, ahead of the other starters. The presentation was appealing, with a good variety of seafood including sea urchin, scallop, botan shrimp, crab claw, yellowtail, salmon, salmon roes, abalone and egg. All the seafood is fresh and tasty, and I like the chef putting chuka salad in between the seafood and the sushi rice to give extra texture. The rice also had the right amount of vinegar to give flavors but not making it too sour. A nice one. 

The California Roll ($68) is a bit disappointing, however. The presentation is a bit floppy, with the flying fish roes not well covering the outside, leaving patches ‘exposed’. The taste itself is not bad fortunately, and with the mayonnaise it did remind me that his used to be my favorite sushi when I was young.

By then the other don, Chicken & Onion with Soft-boiled Egg Don ($118) ordered by my wife, arrived. The egg is slightly overcooked but still acceptable, and the chicken fillet is quite tasty, with the onion caramelized to give the sweetness and there are also plenty of spring onion and sesames to enhance the aromas and flavors further. A good choice if you want a hot don. 

The Crab Croquette ($88) is probably my favorite in the evening. Golden brown in color, it got a crispy surface, while on the inside the crab meat, together with the rich, creamy sauce as fillings, recreated what I would call a sense of joy when biting in. No wonder this is a signature item of the restaurant.  

As we generally eat quite fast, the Grilled Fish Jaw ($278) could only be served after we had finished all the other dishes. I am not sure what type of fish it is, but the portion is one of the biggest I had experienced. The fish jaw was grilled nicely, and the chef adding some black peppers which spice up the flavors. The fish jaw itself is quite fatty, but after adding lemon juice, together with the dipping sauce with the Japanese vinegar mixed with mashed turnip, the sourness helps to balance the fish oil, and also removing the fishy taste. Another good dish and signature of the restaurant.

The service is decent, with the staff attentive and comes to replenish the tea frequently. The bill on the night was $987 which was not cheap, but considering the freshness and quality of the seafood it is not extravagant.