wineshark

2025年10月5日星期日

Wineshark Home Cooking - Phoneix Wings 龍穿鳳翼

Ingredients (for 4):

Chicken wings - 12
Salt - dashes
Chinese ham - 30g
Honey - 2 tsp
Bamboo shoot - 50g
Ginger - 1 piece
Oil - 2 tsp
Asparagus - 10
Garlic - 1 clove
Sugar - dashes
Chicken stock - 1/4 cup
Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
Tapioca starch - 1 tsp
Water - 1 tbsp
Soy sauce - 2 tsp
Chinese yellow wine - 2 tsp
White pepper powder - dashes

Procedures:

1. Place the Chinese ham on the plate and pour honey on top.

2. Steam the ham for 5 minutes, then let it cool down.

3. Cut into strips.

4. Remove the bones from the chicken wings.

5. Marinate the chicken wings with ginger juice and a pinch of salt.

6. Cut the bamboo shoots into strips of equal length with the Chinese ham.

7. Peel off the hard fiber on the skin of the asparagus, then cut into halves.

8. Stuff the chicken wings with Chinese ham and bamboo shoot.

9. Put the chicken wings inside a bowl. Then place the bowl on a plate.

10. Steam the chicken wings for 20 minutes.

11. Use a plate to cover the bowl and flip it over. Drain the jus from the chicken wings and keep for later use.

12. Heat the pan with oil, then add in the smashed garlic to stir-fry briefly.

13. Stir fry the asparagus, add a pinch of salt and sugar, and a bit of chicken stock, until the asparagus is cooked.

14. Put the chicken wings and asparagus on the serving plate.

15. Mix the remain chicken stock with tapioca starch and water, soy sauce, Chinese yellow wine, a pinch of sugar and white pepper powder.

16. Heat the saucepan with the jus from the chicken wings, then add in the mixture, continue to stir until the sauce is thickened. Add sesame oil.

17. Pour the sauce on the chicken wings and serve.

2025年10月4日星期六

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Man Wah 文華廳

After the news of someone paying more than $80k for dinner at this restaurant, Man Wah has become the talk of the city. As a regular patron, we come today not because of the hype, but knowing Chef Wong is retiring soon, it is important we can visit and enjoy his culinary skills one more time.

Seated at the same table we have always taken, we start with Barbecued Iberico Pork Loin, Longan Honey 蜜味西班牙黑豚肉叉燒 ($325). The BBQ pork is truly amazing, with the meat very tender and juicy, without needing to add the gravy. The pork is of a thick cut but the texture remains soft, with the glaze using local longan honey, which has a more floral note and less sweet.

Next, we have Baked Green Crab Meat, Matsutake Mushroom, Cheddar Cheese 芝士松茸焗釀蟹蓋 ($328 each). The chef has used fresh Yunnan matsutake mushroom to cook with crab meat, cream, onion, and white wine, finishing with Cheddar cheese. Both the delicate crab meat and fragrance of mushroom can be highlighted without one masking another. The cheese also does not overpower the flavours, really a nice change to the traditional recipe.

Then comes Braised Abalone and Chicken Casserole 文華鮑魚滑雞煲 ($368 each). Using tealight to keep the casserole warm, the abalone is braised nicely, soft on the bite, gluey inside with great flavours. The chicken pieces are also cooked perfectly, seasoned well and delicious. The dried tiger prawn supplemented more texture and savoury flavours, with a bit of spiciness from the chili, which adds wonders to the taste.

Instead of more meat, we have opted for Sweet and Sour Shiitake Mushroom 菠蘿咕嚕脆香菇 ($298). The chef also has hawthorn juice to prepare the sweet and sour sauce, with a better balance. The mushroom pieces are deep-fried to a crisp surface while keeping tender and moist inside, with the fresh pineapple appetizing. Finishing the dish there is no puddle of sauce on the plate, a great example to demonstrate how to make this dish right.

Following is the highlight on the night, the pre-ordered off-menu item, Sole Casserole Rice 順德醬油方脷焗飯 ($552). The fillet of the large sole is cut into shreds, half-cooked before putting on top of the rice to cook together, ensuring the rice can absorb the flavours from the sole to the full. Adding a bit of aged tangerine peel to increase the fragrance, the plenty of chopped spring onion further enhances the aroma. It is so good we finish the whole portion and frankly can even finish more if available.

For dessert, I have Almond Cream, Egg White, Sesame Dumpling 蛋白杏仁茶湯丸 ($128) while my wife has Red Bean Cream, Aged Tangerine Peel 遠年陳皮紅豆沙 ($128). The almond cream is prepared using three types of almond, to make it rich and flavourful, while the sesame fillings of the dumpling are not too sweet. The red bean cream is also delicious, very fragrant from the aged tangerine peel used.

The complementary Petits Fours include Pea Cake 豌豆糕, made from pea powder, adding sugar, persimmon, and other ingredients to make a soft, delicate dim sum. The other piece is Egg Biscuit 雞蛋餅, with the rich egg flavours permeating the crunchy biscuit. Both of them are appropriate in sweetness. A real treat to finish the meal.

Service is very good, with all the staff very friendly, attentive, and eager to explain the dishes and helpful in making recommendations. We also appreciate tremendously their manager helping us to pre-order the casserole rice beforehand. The bill on the night is $2,725 which is reasonable in my opinion considering the quality of the food. It is definitely a restaurant not to be missed.

2025年10月3日星期五

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Pentola

This restaurant is located at Tai Po Arts Centre, which is the former Tai Po Government Secondary School. In 2019, the place is converted to dedicate to community’s needs and aim to nurture talents in Hong Kong. Arriving here, there is an eye-catching lightbox outside, with an interesting pig sculpture leading customers in.

The space should be a function room before, with high ceiling, and no columns. Quite a big place, there are many tables with the kitchen on one side. The brick walls and large windows create a nice industrial vibe, which is relaxing and comfortable. On a weekday evening, it is not busy and most of the customers are from the neighbourhood.

We ordered Set Dinner for Two ($438), which starts with soup. The soup on the day was Lobster Bisque, rich and flavourful. While there are not a lot of lobster meat you can find, the chef has added some kombu to add a bit of texture and extra layer of umami to the soup. Quite nice.

Next comes three appetizers. The first is Bruschetta with Eggplant Puree. On a crunchy toasted baguette slice are eggplant puree, together with anchovies and a bit of paprika. The eggplant is delicious with a nice smokiness, while the anchovies provide the savoury taste and the paprika a touch of mild spiciness.

The second is Roasted Capelin in Mediterranean Style. The sardines are roasted and seasoned with capers, parsley, taggiasche olives, lime, and olive oil. The fish has a bit of fishy note which can be an issue for some people, but adding a bit of lime juice helps to tone it down.

The final one is Italian Cold Cut Platter, with 24 months Parma ham, salami, and Coppa ham, paired with fresh melon. The ham are decent in taste, but I was surprised to see them serving the melon to pair, demonstrating the restaurant’s attention to keep to the traditional style.

While there are some choices for main course, we picked Gnocchi all’ Amatriciana, and Grilled Angus Hanger with French Fries ($90 extra). The gnocchi has a nice soft chewy bite, with the sauce having rich flavours, combining acidity and sweetness from tomatoes, fragrance from basil, and savoury from guanciale.

The steak is large in portion, grilled to a nice medium level, with a crisp surface, moist and juicy inside. The meat is also not too fatty. On the side there are plenty of French fries, also nicely done, with a bit of salad too to help balance the palate. While it is not necessary, there is also gravy provided for those who want a bit of sauce to go with the steak.

The set also includes coffee or tea. Service is decent, however there is not that much interaction with the staff. The bill on the night is $581. A good price to value and should be a good spot if you are living in the neighbourhood, but probably not worth coming all the way if you are living on HK Island to try it out.

2025年10月2日星期四

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Magistracy Dining Room

This restaurant is located at Tai Kwun, taking over the Central Magistracy to re-develop into a chic, nice dining spot. With a large counter facing the entrance, the staff leads us to the main dining area, which has a grand, traditional ambience reminding me of some restaurants I have visited in London.

Seated at a spacious banquette table on one end, looking out to the full length of the dining room, the high ceiling, wooden floor, panels and staircase, plus the dim lighting, create a more formal but cozy setting, with many guests also dressed up for the occasion. The captain of the restaurant soon came to check in with us and introduced our menu.

We had pre-ordered the Chef’s Selection ($988 each), which covers some starters, a main with some side dishes, and dessert. I also have a bottle of Domaine Derey Marsannay 2022 ($1,208) to pair with the food. The Chardonnay has nice acidity, crisp lemon and supple stone fruit notes, on top of floral and a rich stony minerality.

There are some light snacks for us to start, including Olives on skewers, Crudités Platter, and Gougères. The platter has different vegetables and pairs with a cheese dip, while the gougères are cheese puffs. Quite nice.

The Sourdough comes with classic soft butter and caramel butter, with the latter having a fragrant smokiness which goes well with the bread.

The starter are Oysters, served together with lemon and Amelie Speciale Cocktail. The oysters are fresh and sweet in taste, with the condiment providing a nice citrus and vinegar to reduce the briny note.

Next comes Magistracy’s Endive & Stilton Salad. The crunchy and bitter endive is paired with the English cheese, with its signature nutty and earthy taste. The salad is also mixed with crystal pears, candied walnuts and herbs to further enhance the flavours.

Then comes Leek and Potato Vichyssoise. The chilled soup is made from blending the cooked leek and potatoes, served with crème fraiche and Parmesan brioche crumbs. The soup is creamy and rich, while having delicate taste which helps to make it less heavy.

There are two mains included in the menu. First is Steamed Seabass, with crispy caviar and mandarin butter sauce. The seabass is cooked well, with a crisp skin while the flesh is still moist. The sauce has a rich buttery note while balancing with the acidity of the mandarin.

The other mains feature local Three Yellow Chicken, with the creamy braised chicken and vegetables served with a crispy puff pastry top. My favourite in the evening, the chicken and sauce are seasoned well, delicious in taste while not too rich and heavy. But best to share instead of finishing by one person.

On the side there are three dishes, including Creamed Spinach, with bechamel and glazed Gruyere. Taste is good, but a bit too rich especially if goes together with the chicken.

The Quality Chop House Confit Potatoes are my favourite of the side dishes, with the potato not greasy, seasoned well with malt vinegar and sea salt.

The other one is Crispy Japanese Hen-Of-The-Wood Mushroom, which has a fried chicken look and feel, and served with garlic-parsley Beillevaire butter. It is a bit too dry for me however.

Dessert is Sticky Tofu Pudding, with vanilla ice cream on top. Having good sweetness, the pudding is moist, with each bite a rewarding treat.

Service is good, with the staff friendly. Even though the etiquette is a bit more formal than I would expect, it does not make you feel out of place. The bill on the night is $3,688. Decent in price and food quality, the place is a great spot to enjoy the colonial ambiance.