Wineshark Cooking Class - Steamed Pork Ribs in Black Bean Sauce 豉汁蒸排骨

Ingredients (for 4):

• Spare ribs - 600 g
• Garlic - 8 cloves
• Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
• Sugar - 3/4 tsp
• Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
• Tapioca starch - 1 tsp
• Black beans - 2 tbsp
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 1 tbsp
• Minced garlic - 1.5 tbsp
• Red chili - 1
• Spring onion - 1 sprig

Procedures:

1. Marinate the spare ribs with soy sauce and sugar, and then add sesame oil and tapioca starch to mix well.

2. Steam the garlic cloves for 5 minutes.

3. Wash the black beans and then wipe dry. Slightly crush them.

4. Mix the black beans with sugar, minced garlic, red chili and Chinese yellow wine to form a paste.

5. Mix the black beans paste with the spare ribs and add 2 tbsp of water. Then put into the steaming plate along with the steamed garlic.

6. Steam the spare ribs for 15 minutes. 

7. Sprinkle with chopped spring onion. Then serve.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Oyster & Wine Bar

This restaurant is located on the top floor of Sheraton Hong Kong in TST, featuring a big oyster bar with the super fresh seasonal oysters from different parts of the world, with also a wonderful view overlooking the Victoria Harbour and skyline on Hong Kong Island. 

Making reservation on the day, we could not secure any of the window seats apparently, and were assigned to a corner of an inner dining room. Despite not having the nice view, it offered good privacy, with the same comfort and nice ambience of contemporary furnishings.

After serving us the amuse bouche, the staff nicely introduced the daily specials to us, with a good range of nice seafood and premium cuts. Decided to pick the Mangalica pork, I then went to take a look at the oyster bar and asked the chef to help pick some for me. 

He ended up choosing Tia Maraa ($77) from Ireland, with good crispness which I like very much. La Perle ($77), a well-known breed, had a balanced salty and sweetness, with also nice creamy texture. KYS ($95) is an award-winning oyster, crisp with nutty and good iodine flavours. My favourite among the four. The last was Geay ($85), fleshy and crisp, with a subtle sweetness. All were very fresh and so tasty I wanted to order another round if not because we had already ordered other food.

As my wife was still recovering and did not want to eat raw oyster, she ordered Caesar Salad ($210) to start. The crunchy lettuce was served with crispy pancetta, grated Parmesan cheese, anchovy, and the homemade Caesar dressing. It was very good in taste. 

I had another hot appetizer, going for the US Style Crab Cake ($315). The crab cake was baked to give a good brown, with plenty of crab meat seasoned beautifully. Paired with the Louise sauce, as well as the garlic and bell pepper aioli on the side, it was really nice and I finished the whole portion in no time.

For the main course, as recommended by the staff, we picked the Mangalica Pork ($1120) to share. This Hungarian pig was famous for its rich and intense flavours, and the chef had grilled this 25 oz cut, after seasoned with salt and black pepper, to the absolute perfection. Juicy and tender despite the thickness, the fat added wonders and was one of the tastiest pork varieties. The grilled garlic and tomatoes on the side helped to lower the overall fattiness of the dish in a smart manner. 

Finishing with dessert, I opted for Sorbet ($85) to help cleanse my palate. The lime and mango & passion fruit scoop had a nice balance of sweet and tartness, with some mixed berries underneath too. My wife decided to go for Souffle ($160), with a nice puffy and airy texture. She thought it was too sweet though, even before adding the ginger cream on the side. 

Service was good, and with the busy night we could see the staff very hard-working serving and looking after all the tables. The bill was $2,303 after a 15% credit card discount. It is certainly a nice place to enjoy some good seafood and meats, in particular if you like oysters. 

Wineshark Cooking Class - Grilled Chicken Steak and Vegetables 鐵板煎雞腿和蔬菜

Ingredients (for 4):

• Chicken leg - 4
• Eggplant - 1
• Zucchini - 1
• King trumpet mushroom - 2
• Pumpkin - 40 g
• Red bell pepper - 1
• Asparagus - 4
• Okra - 4
• Oregano - 3 g
• Parsley - 3 g
• Basil - 3 g
• Mint - 3 g
• Lemon juice - 30 ml
• Extra-virgin olive oil - 100 ml

Procedures:

1. Remove the bone from the chicken leg. 

2. Marinate the chicken steak with salt and white pepper powder. 

3. Cut the king trumpet mushroom into slices, cut the red bell pepper into strips, and peel the lower half of asparagus and then cut in halves. 

4. Cut the pumpkin and zucchini into slices.

5. Marinate the vegetables with salt and black pepper, and then drizzle with some olive oil.

6. Add some salt and black pepper to the lemon juice and mix well.

7. Gradually add extra-virgin olive oil to the lemon juice, and whisk continuously to emulsify. 

8. Add the chopped herbs into the vinaigrette.

9. Heat the pan with oil, and then pan-fry the vegetables on both sides.

10. Marinate the vegetables with the vinaigrette.

11. Heat the pan with oil, and then pan-fry the chicken steak, skin down.

12. When the skin turns golden brown, flip over and continue to pan-fry until the chicken is cooked.

13. Place the vegetables on the plate, and then put the chicken steak on top. Drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Yat Tung Heen 逸東軒

Located in the basement of Eaton HK on Nathan Road, this Cantonese restaurant has been awarded Michelin 1-star status since 2017, led by Chef Tam Tung. I visited a restaurant of the same name in Excelsior Hotel before it was torn down a few years ago and wonder whether these two were related in some way. 

Seated at the main dining area, the décor recreates an atmosphere of Shanghai taverns in the 1920s, featuring plenty of wooden fittings and furniture, traditional Chinese paintings highlighting food and ingredients. There are a few private rooms and very soon all the tables are already occupied, a testimony to the restaurant's popularity. 

We ordered the Signature Barbecue Combination ($368) to start, which include honey-glazed barbecued pork and roasted pork belly. The BBQ pork was succulent, with the meat tender and juicy. The glazing could see a bit more charred but still very nice overall. The roasted pork belly got a crispy skin, while the meat was well marinated and not overly salty. 

Each of us ordered a different soup. My wife picked Double-boiled Pork Lung Soup with Fish Maw and Almond ($180) while I opted for Hot and Sour Soup with Assorted Seafood ($160). The balance of sourness and spiciness was spot-on, and the soup was delicious, with also plenty of ingredients. There were some steamed egg-white on the bottom, adding a nice twist to the original recipe.

Next came Golden Fried Whole Crispy Chicken ($598), which was a two-course dish. After showing us the beautifully deep-fried chicken, the staff sliced the crispy chicken skin out, which was served with steamed pancake, cucumber, spring onion and sweet bean sauce in a wrap like Peking duck, but without the fattiness. A good alternative also if you come with a smaller group. 

On the second serving we had chosen Stewed Chicken with Black Bean and Shallot. Very fragrant on the aromas, the chicken was good in taste too, but as we were already very full after finishing the wraps, we decided to pack the whole dish home. 

The Chinese Lettuce Simmered in Fish Broth ($218) was good as well. The lettuce was crunchy on texture, picking up the light and delicate flavors from the fish broth. Some Shimeji and Enokitake mushroom were added to give a contrast on the bite. 

For desserts, we had Red Beans Soup ($48) and Chilled Mango Sago Cream with Pomelo ($48). While it was not too sweet, the sago cream was unfortunately quite disappointing, with the mango not flavorful and the cream too thick. 

Service was decent, but considering it is a Michelin starred restaurant one would expect more. The bill on the night was $1,340 after a 30% promotion discount. It is a good place to enjoy some nice Cantonese cuisines, especially with this attractive price. 

Wineshark Cooking Class - Stewed Chicken with Potato 雞肉馬鈴薯

Ingredients (for 4):

• Chicken steak - 200 g
• Potato - 2
• Carrot - 1/2
• Onion - 1/2
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Water - 1.5 cup
• Sake - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 2 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 2.5 tbsp
• Kombu - 1 piece
• Snow peas - 6

Procedures:

1. Cut the chicken steak into slightly bigger than bite-size.

2. Cut the potatoes into big pieces.

3. Cut the carrot into big pieces.

4. Cut the onion into half-circles.

5. Remove the fiber of the snow peas.

6. Cut the kombu into sections of 5cm.

7. Heat the pot with oil, and then add the onion to stir-fry briefly.

8. Add the chicken meat to continue to stir-fry until slightly browned.

9. Add the rest of the vegetables, and continue to stir-fry for a while.

10. Add water, sake, sugar, soy sauce and the kombu in and continue to cook until the sauce boils.

11. Lower the heat and then cover with lid to simmer for 15 minutes. Then remove the kombu.

12. Add the snow peas and turn up the heat to cook for 5 minutes. Then serve.