Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Racines

This restaurant has just got its Michelin 1-star status in 2024 and is located on Upper Station Street in Sheung Wan, an old yet chic neighborhood that I immediately fall in love when arriving. The entrance of the restaurant has a classy feel which reminds me of nice diners we visited in Europe.

The restaurant is pretty small in size, with a few dining tables and also counter seats facing the kitchen. We have booked a dining table and got assigned to the one nearest to the counter, so able to see some of the activities going on in the background.

The staff explains the menu to us, and also introduces the origin of Racines, which means roots in French, as Chef Romain and Adrien want to showcase cuisine from their home, Nice and Toulouse. The ‘Genese 6’ is a 6-course menu at $1,688. Instead of wine pairing, I decide to go for a bottle.

Picking a champagne because of its versatility for food, I have opted for Champagne Eric Rodez Blanc de Noirs ($1,550). With the grapes from Ambonnay Grand Cru, and majority of the blend has not undergone malolactic fermentation, there is good freshness and elegant fruit.

The bread is a collaboration between the restaurant and a local bakery, with the chefs providing the recipe to the bakery, making the Cereal Sourdough with Black Sesame, paired with a smoked butter with some Piment d’Espelette chili powder, on a port wine jam on top. Very good.

There are three Amuse Bouche. The first is Chicken Liver Parfait, with some duck terrine, served on a spoon. The second is Broccoli Tarte, made with broccoli puree and basil, together with French and local clam in a clear consommé ‘shell’.  Both are flavourful and great in taste.

The remaining one is Croquette, with the deep-fried breaded mashed potato ball having fillings of tomato and Bechamel sauce. It is not oily, with a crisp crust but not hard, and the rich and delicious stuffing is very pleasant too. It is my favourite among the three small bites.

The first course features Tarbouriech Oyster. The famous producer raises the special oysters in Thau Lagoon, the third largest lake in France. The lightly poached oyster has nice mineral taste, and is mixed with Tzatziki, a salted yogurt and cucumber dipping sauce with lots of fresh herbs like coriander and mint, together with some sugar pea, grilled seaweed, and Kaviari Ocietra caviar ($98 supplement). The umami of the seaweed, combining with the savoury of the caviar, sweetness from the peas, and the sauce generates a feast of sensory delights in flavours. Truly wonderful.

The second course features Mediterranean Tuna. The pan-seared tuna is wrapped with a paste of anchovy and olives to give additional layers of flavours. On the bottom is a paste made with some fresh almond to provide nutty flavours to the dish. Together with some fresh tomatoes, peach, French and fava beans, and the beautiful sauce made with fresh tomato juice, peach, almond, red pepper, ginger, garlic and verbena oil, the whole dish is harmonized, with the different elements integrated well, reminding me of flavours we had in Nice on a visit. Fantastic.

The third course features Britanny Lobster, serving in two ways. The first part is the Lobster Roll, deep-fried in tempura style, with some breadcrumbs on the surface. The lobster meat has been mixed with dry orange peel, chopped chickpeas, pickled apricot, sage, and coriander. The sweetness and flavours of the lobster meat is phenomenal, testifying to the attention of the chefs in only having best quality ingredients in the dish.  

The second part of the Britanny Lobster, with the tail lightly poached with the tomalley of the lobster itself before grilling it over charcoal. The chef has prepared a sauce of great flavours, made from the lobster shell, chicken jus and harissa. On the side is the mashed chickpea, which has been cooked with some North African spices. In the middle is the chickpea salad with some pickled apricot, seasoned with coriander and mint oil. While the taste is gorgeous, the portion size of the lobster tail is frankly quite small. Good that the chickpea is also wonderful in flavours.

We get to pick our own knife for the main course, in which both of us have chosen Britanny Pigeon ($188 addition). The charcoal-roasted pigeon breast is encrusted with a layer of olives and capers, cooked perfectly, very tender, juicy, and flavourful. On the side is the organic eggplant, which does not have the usual bitterness, with anchovies and olive on top, along with an eggplant puree. The jus is made from the pigeon and cooked with liquorice, to balance out the flavours. This is my favourite dish in the evening, with each element fantastic and delicious. Amazing.

Coming to the fifth course, which features Burgundy Clacbitou, a type of cheese made from raw goat milk. The cheese is made into a sorbet, adding with pineapple chutney to give sweetness and fragrance, and the arugula balancing with a hint of bitterness from the greens, with some cheese foam at the bottom. Very pleasant, it is refreshing and palate cleansing. As Ivy was coughing quite badly and the doctor advised her not to eat anything cold, Chef Romain helps to arrange a Crème Brulee for her instead.

The sixth and last course features Celeriac Root. The chef creatively uses the vegetable to make a dessert, mixing the celeriac root with passionfruit seeds at the bottom, followed by some ricotta cheese, a passionfruit sorbet with honey, crisps made from coffee and almond, and some marigold leaves on top. A nice dessert that is not too sweet, with the different components harmonizing in flavours. A wonderful finale for the menu. Again, Chef Romain has kindly arranged a Lemon Meringue Tart for Ivy to substitute.

The Petits Fours are put inside two beautiful tin boxes, with the bigger ones having Madeleine and Almond Tuile, while the smaller one contains Chocolates of Almond and Hazelnut. Both are great complements to coffee and finishes our evening on a high note.

The bill on the night is $6,186. All the staff are friendly and helpful, with Chef Romain a cheerful chef, who comes to interact with customers, checking in on the food and socializing. He also took extra effort to accommodate our request to change the desserts. Even though it is very packed and might not be the most comfortable seating environment, in terms of food quality and customer service it has the intimate and enjoyable ambience we like. Knowing that the menu will be changed in August, there are ample reasons for us to return again.

Wineshark Weekend Cooking - Pork Chop 豬肉排

Ingredients (for 4):

• Pork chop - 4
• Onion - 1
• Mushroom - 300g
• Tomato sauce - 4 tbsp
• Worchestershire sauce - 2 tbsp
• Flour - 1 tbsp
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp
• Salt - 1 tsp

Procedures:

1. Marinate the pork chop with salt and flour.

2. Cut the mushroom into slices.

3. Cut the onion into slices.

4. Mix tomato sauce and Worchestershire sauce together.

5. Heat the pot with oil, when there is a slight smoke coming out, put the pork chop to pan-fry at medium heat.

6. When the pork chops get colour, flip them over.

7. Add in the onion, mushroom, and the sauce. Cover with lid. 

8. When steam comes out from the lid, turn to low heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

9. Mix well and serve.

Wineshark Weekend Cooking - Minced Beef with Mashed Potatoes 薯茸免治牛肉

Ingredients (for 4):

• Beef - 180g
• Water - 2 tbsp
• Chicken liver - 2 sets
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Onion - 1/2
• Shallot - 1 tbsp
• Garlic - 1 tsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 1 tsp
• Potato - 400g
• Butter - 2 tbsp
• Milk - 1/8 cup
• Salt - 1/4 tsp full
• Sugar - 1/8 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/8 tsp
• Beef marinade
• Soy sauce - 2 tsp
• Sugar - 1/4 tsp
• White pepper powder - dashes
• Chinese yellow wine - 1 tsp
• Tapioca starch - 1/2 tsp
• Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Thickening
• Chicken stock - 1/4 cup
• Oyster sauce - 1 tsp
• Tapioca starch - 1/2 tsp full

Procedures:

1. Cut away the fat of the beef, and then cut thin slices about 0.3cm thick, then cut strips of equal thickness. Cut into small pieces and then chop a few times.

2. Pour in the two tablespoon of water and wait for the beef to absorb. Then add in the beef marinade and mix well. Put into the fridge for later use.

3. Remove the membrane of the chicken liver, then cut into slices of 0.3cm thick.

4. Heat up a pot of water, and then pour in the chicken liver. Turn off the heat immediately and swirl the chicken liver briefly, then remove and rinse in cold water.

5. Cut the chicken liver into small pieces.

6. Wash the potatoes, then put in a large pot and fill with water to completely submerge the potatoes. Turn up the heat until boiling, then lower to medium level and continue to boil for 25 minutes. 

7. Cut the onion into small pieces.

8. Finely chop the shallot and garlic.

9. Mix chicken stock, oyster sauce and tapioca starch as thickening. 

10. Remove the skin of the potatoes.

11. Mash the potatoes while it is still hot.

12. Use a sieve to press the mashed potatoes through to make it softer. 

13. Mix butter into the mashed potatoes. Then add appropriate amount of milk to soften the texture further.

14. Season with salt, sugar and white pepper powder. Mix well.

15. Put the mashed potatoes on the serving plate, and make a hollow in the middle. Create some groove on the side by using a Chinese spoon. Keep warm.

16. Heat the pan with oil, then add the onion in to stir-fry to semi-transparent.

17. Add in shallot and garlic. 

18. Add in the beef and continue to swirl to loosen the beef to individual pieces.

19. Add in the chicken liver and Chinese yellow wine. Then add in the thickening. 

20. Serve.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Yue 悅

This Cantonese restaurant is under the LUBUDS Group, located on the 13^th floor of Times Square, the same floor with the cinema. Coming for dinner on the 1 July public holiday, we are the first group of customers, with the staff leading us to a spacious table.

The setting is neat and comfortable, with stained glass panels on the window side and soft lighting to give a cozy and warmth ambience. The table can accommodate four people, so we are seated comfortably, browsing the menu, and checking the chef’s signature dishes.

The appetizer is Pickled Guava ($28), with slices of the fruit marinated together with preserved plum. The balance of sweet and sour is good, with the plum notes matching well with guava, making this starter appetizing and unstoppable.

The first course is Chilled Giant Mantis Shrimp with Grilled Green Chili Paste ($598). The shell of the big mantis shrimp has been removed, so we can enjoy the meaty flesh on each bite. The taste is full of umami sweetness, but the highlight is definitely the chili paste, with a nice hotness stimulating the palate but not excessive. A wonderful start.

My wife has Double-Boiled Francolin Soup with Salted Kumquat Fritillary Bulb & Fish Maw ($268). The soup is steaming hot, clear and without any single drop of oil, with the francolin meat cut into small cubes to extract the flavours. The kumquat has the medicinal property to smooth the throat, while the fish maw is rich in collagen. The soup is delicious and healthy.

For the main dishes, we pick Sweet & Sour Pork in Aged Vinegar ($268). The bite-sized pork is deep-fried, retaining a crunchy surface while the meat has not dried out. The sauce has a rich aged vinegar taste, and is highly complementary with the black garlic, fig, and bell peppers. I would prefer the sauce to be a bit sourer to make it even more appetizing.

Another signature of the chef is Braised Beef Brisket & Tendon with Preserved Vegetables in Hakka Style ($488). Served in a sizzling hot clay pot, the beef brisket has been braised sufficiently to make it very tender, while the tendon is essentially melting in the mouth. The soup is tasty, and I also like the addition of some lotus roots to give a contrast in texture.

The Stir-Fried Frog Leg with Ginger & Scallion ($388) is the other dish we have. The frog legs are seasoned well, using plenty of ginger, scallion, and shallot to stir-fry to give a nice fragrance and taste. On the side are some crispy deep-fried pork belly slices, adding an extra layer of savoury delicacy.

The staff has offered us complimentary Black Glutinous Rice Soup for dessert. Not too sweet, there are also sago added in the soup as well. A nice completion for a full dinner.

Service is good, with the staff attentive and friendly. But like almost all Chinese restaurant, there is very little interactions with customers, and no introduction of the dishes whatsoever. The bill on the night is $2,363 and it is a bit on the high side, but considering the quality of the food and the restaurant setting, it is still a place to enjoy some nice Cantonese food in Causeway Bay.