Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Mulan 沐瀾

With the big typhoon coming to HK, everyone was rushing back home after work on this Monday evening. Going out for dinner before the signal no. 8 which would be hoisted later in midnight, we came to Mulan, in Harbour City, to try out their contemporary Chinese cuisine from their acclaimed female chef Ng Mung-Lam.

Seated at a table on the window side, the harbour view at dusk was mind-blowing. The restaurant has a simple design, tidy and neat, offering customers a friendly and comfortable ambience. We ordered the Dinner Set ($838 each), which showcases Chef Ng’s approach of fusion cuisine incorporating Chinese ingredients and Western techniques.

The starter is Tuna Tartare, with Caviar and Toast. The tuna is seasoned beautifully, with the French caviar adding a savoury taste to enhance the flavours. The toast on the side is also very crunchy, overall offering an impeccable start of the dinner.

Next comes Yunnan Water Bamboo, Maitake, Truffle Tofu Sauce. Even though the water bamboo has a bit of bitterness, when combining with the maitake, and the truffle tofu sauce the flavours become more harmonized.

The third course is Tempura Tiger Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk Sauce. The prawn is deep-fried with a thin batter in tempura style, paired with salted egg yolk sauce that is not too rich or heavy. The deep-fried shredded taro on top further adds to the enjoyment.  

For the soup, there are two choices. I go for Seasonal Vegetable Soup which is Mushroom Soup, with the blended mushroom offering rich flavours, the most Western-style of all dishes. My wife has the equally tasty Seasonal Dried Seafood Soup ($28 supplement), of more traditional style.

The fifth course features Fish Maw in Two Styles. Prepared on the side, the fish maw has been used to make a corn soup together with conpoy, and also added in the scrambled egg to serve on the plate, with some truffle shaved on top. The flavours are good, but the dish is not hot enough in temperature.

To transition to the main course, we are served Xinjiang Melon in Mint Syrup. An interesting small bite, the melon is not too sweet, with the refreshing taste of the mint helping to remove the flavours in the mouth to prepare for the next course.

The seventh course is Roasted Golden Free-Range Chicken with Galanga Pesto, which is meant to share for two. The half chicken is beautifully roasted with golden colour skin, tender and juicy in flesh. The pesto is rich in taste, also there are also three different chili sauce on the side as condiment. The side dish includes sweet corn and French beans which are dusted with garlic salt.

There are again a few choices for the eighth course, and I opted for Abalone and Sesame Sauce Flat Udon ($38 supplement). The udon has a pleasant al dente texture, with the sauce adding rich sesame flavours. The abalone is also nicely done and not rubbery. My wife has picked Yunnan Wild Mushroom Risotto which is also very good.

For dessert, we both have chosen Mangosteen Sorbet with Yunnan Snow Swallow ($28 supplement). The sorbet is refreshing, not sweet but showing plenty of nice mangosteen taste. It is the first time I have tried dessert featuring this fruit. The snow swallow has a good bite to give contrast in texture. A delicate and nice one.

Service is nice, but I hope the staff can give more introduction to the ingredients and dishes. The bill on the night is $2,088. A reasonable price, and consider the overall experience it is worth returning again, perhaps to pre-order the special menu which has some dishes I want to try.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Steamed Salted Chicken with Sand Ginger 鹽焗沙薑雞

Ingredients (for 4):

• Chicken - 1
• Spring onion - 2 sprigs
• Ginger - 8 slices
• Shaoxing wine - 1 tbsp
• Sand ginger powder - 2 tsp + 1.5 tsp
• Black pepper finely - dashes 
• Cumin powder - dashes
• Salt - 4 tsp + 0.5 tsp
• Cooked oil - 3 tsp
• Sesame oil - 1 tsp

Procedures:

1.  Cut away the chicken head and feet.

2. Soak the chicken in salted water for 30 minutes.

3. Cut the spring onion into sections. Cut the ginger into slices.

4. Mix the marinade, including sand ginger powder, black pepper finely, cumin powder and salt.

5. Use 3 tsp of the marinade to wipe the inside of the chicken, then use the rest of marinade to wipe the outside. Stuff the spring onion and ginger inside the chicken. Put in fridge to marinate overnight.

6. Mix sand ginger powder, salt, black pepper finely, cooked oil and sesame oil for the dipping sauce.

7. Take the chicken out from the fridge to let it warm to room temperature. Then wipe on the outside with Shaoxing wine.

8. Steam the chicken at high heat for 10min. Then turn to low heat and continue to steam for 20 minutes.

9. Cut the chicken into pieces to serve.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Mikasaya 三笠屋

Not having seen Chef Motoyama for a few months, today we came to his Causeway Bay sushi restaurant Mikasaya to see what he has prepared for us. Per our routine, we have pre-arranged the Special Omakase Menu ($1,800 each) and open a bottle of 常山 純米大吟醸 極 ($1,000).

First course is Awabi and Uni Somen. On the silky soft, thin Japanese noodles there are some slices of abalone, with the liver paste added to enhance the flavours. On top is sea urchin, from Hokkaido, for its umami and sweetness, seasoned with shiso flowers.

Second course is Sanma and Smoked Sawara. The seasonal Pacific saury is so good and flavourful, best together with a bit of scallion and shoyu. The Japanese Spanish mackerel has a tender texture, torched on the skin for fragrance, to pair with ponzu.

Third course is Karasumi. The homemade salted mullet roes are our favourite, and today Chef prepares two pieces for us, one is torched, the other is not. The torched one has a nice smoky note, but I also like the original taste which somehow is richer in umami.

Fourth course is Matsutake Dobinmushi. Served in the teapot, the dashi is very delicious, rich in flavours from the fragrance of the prized matsutake mushroom, seafood, and vegetables. Adding a few drops of lime juice enhances the refreshing note further.

Fifth course is Tako. The octopus tentacles have been braised to wonderful tenderness, fully absorbing the flavours of the sauce. The sansho leaves give a nice aroma while yuzu sansho paste helps to balance the sweetness from the sauce.

Sixth course is Hirame Sushi. The olive flounder has a mild sweet taste, with a nice firm and elastic texture. The clean and delicate flavours are ideal to start in a sushi set.

Seventh course is Shima-Aji Sushi. The striped jack mackerel has a richer flavour, with good firmness on the texture, and a mild umami taste.

Eighth course is Kuruma-Ebi Sushi. The Japanese tiger prawn has good sweetness in taste, with a nice bite. The chef has cut it in halves, so it is easier to eat them.

Ninth course is Akami-Zuke Sushi. The lean tuna has been marinated in shoyu briefly, to tenderize the flesh and giving it an extra layer of umami flavours.

Tenth course is Saba Sushi. The mackerel has been cured in vinegar, to tone down the fishy note. A thin strip of transparent kombu is put on top for additional flavours.

Eleventh course is Gindara Saikyoyaki. The fillet of the black cod has been marinated in white miso before grilling, with fragrant fish oil and rich savoury taste.

Twelfth course is Chu-Toro Sushi. The medium-fatty tuna has rich fish oil, with wonderful flavours seeping out on each chew. Truly delicious.

Thirteenth course is Hokkigai Sushi. The surf clam is big in size, has a pleasant, sweet taste and crunchy in texture. Really good quality.

Fourteenth course is Ankimo. The monkfish liver is creamy, melt-in-the-mouth and bursting with amazing flavours. Paired with narazuke as condiment it is unstoppable.

Fifteenth course is Buri Sushi. The Japanese amberjack has nice fattiness, demonstrating a buttery texture with rich flavours, with a touch of daikon as condiment.

Sixteenth course is Nodoguro Sushi. The blackthroat seaperch is a prized deep-water fish with a good fat content, further vitalized after torching it briefly. Velvety in texture.

Seventeenth course is Ikura Sushi. The cured salmon roes have an appetizing orange-red colour, poppy texture with rich flavours.

Eighteenth course is Bafun Uni Sushi. Wrapped in the nori sheet is the Hokkaido Bafun sea urchin, creamy and sweet in taste.

Nineteenth course is Fish Soup Udon. The signature soup is made with large quantity of fish heads and bones, plenty of ginger, very rich and delicious. This udon completes the wonderful meal with satisfying contention, warming the stomach comfortably.

The final course is the dessert, serving the seasonal white peach with homemade mochi. The fruit is juicy and sweet, while the mochi has a nice chewy skin with cream cheese ice cream.

Service is very good as always, though Chef Motoyama is so busy serving a full house (and two rounds) that he has not a lot of time to interact with us. The bill on the night is $5,060. It remains one of the omakase restaurants we frequently visit all these years.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Cacio e Pepe 花椰菜義大利麵

Ingredients (for 2):

• Spaghetti - 160g
• Cauliflower - 1/2 
• Parmesan cheese - 3 tbsp
• Black pepper finely - 1/2 tsp
• White dashi - 2 tbsp
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Water from pasta - 100ml

Procedures:

1. Cook the cauliflower in boiling water until nearly done. Remove and put in cold water. 

2. Put the spaghetti in boiling to cook for 2 minutes less than the recommended time shown on packaging.

3. Remove the spaghetti to the frying pan. Retain 100ml of the water.

4. Cut the cauliflower into bite sizes.

5. Add in white dashi, olive oil, water from pasta, and cauliflower to the spaghetti.

6. Cook the spaghetti with medium heat for 3 minutes until the water is almost gone. Then turn off the heat and let it sit for 1 minute.

7. Serve with shaved Parmesan cheese and black pepper finely.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Pan-fried Chicken Steak 香煎雞腿排

Ingredients (for 2):

• Chicken steak - 2 pieces
• Lemon - 1/2
• Baby spinach - 2 big pinches
• Salt - 1/4 tsp
• Black pepper finely - 1/4 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Carve on the meat side of the chicken steak lightly.

2. Season with salt and black pepper finely on both sides.

3. Wash the baby spinach thoroughly.

4. Cut the lemon into wedges.

5. Heat the pan with oil, then put the chicken steak in, skin down, under medium heat to pan-fry for 2 minutes. Use kitchen paper to remove the excess oil on the pan. Then turn to low heat to continue to pan-fry for another 3 minutes.

6. Flip the chicken steak over. Turn to medium heat and pan-fry for 1 minutes. Then turn to low heat to continue pan-fry for another 3 minutes.

7. Serve with spinach and lemon wedges.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Rex Wine & Grill

This steakhouse is in Central, at the basement of One Chinachem, a very prime location right in the centre of the busy commercial hub of Hong Kong. Walking down the flight of steps from Des Voeux Road Central, the mini-neon light shows the way to the main dining area.

The space has a refined, luxury vibe with dark mahogany floor, plenty of wood and copper decorations, and brandy-coloured spherical lightings. Seated on the curved leather booth at the back we can command a holistic view of the restaurant, with the bar at the other end.

I started with Cadoret ‘Perle Noire’ N3 Oyster ($158 for 3 pieces). These French oysters came from Brittany, with a nice briny note and a sweet aftertaste, having also a creamy texture. Paired with mignonette sauce and lemon, a refreshing and nice starter for the meal.

Next, we have Datterino Tomato ($148). These small plum tomatoes come from France, with its elongated shape resembling a date. The deep flavours are very pleasant, nicely paired with the creamy smoked stracciatella cheese, and dressed with pesto sauce blended with mint and shiso, tomato consommé jelly, and 15-year Italian balsamic vinegar.

The other appetizer we have is Spanner Crab Salad ($228). Beneath the sliced avocado are the delicate Australia spanner crab meat, on top of some finely chopped cucumber, green apple, and dill, further dressed in cucumber juice. The dish is very refreshing and delicious.

For the main course, we have opted for Flathead Lobster Donabe Rice ($458). A fusion dish, the chef charcoal-grilled the Australian flathead lobster meat to put on top of a leek puree, then used the head and miso to prepare a lobster bisque, drizzled with a bit of leek oil. On the side are the donabe rice cooked with kombu and fish stock, with some Japanese pickles on top. The rice is then mixed to the lobster bisque to enjoy together. Wonderful in taste.

The other main course is Coffee Crusted Wild Venison Loin ($698). The UK venison is cooked to the perfect medium rare, tender and juicy while not too gamy, exhibiting rich flavours and a nice aftertaste from the coffee crust. The venison is my favourite red meat as it is lean yet highly flavourful. Paired with a blackberry and juniper jus, on the side is celeriac mille-feuille and puree, with also some deep-fried kale.  

For dessert we have Crepes Suzette ($328 for two). The crepes are prepared table-side, with the staff heating the sugar to caramelize before adding plenty of butter to create the beurre Suzette, then adding orange zest, orange juice, Grand Marnier, and brandy, before flambeed it to remove the alcohol. The crepes are then cooked in the sauce to absorb, before serving with a vanilla ice cream on top. The mixture of hot and cold, and the intense flavours are phenomenal. It is a theatrical treat also.

Service is very good, especially how they helped us to split the dishes when serving, so we do not need to do that on the table. The food is overall very delicious and of good quality, decent in price, with the bill on the night is $2,559 including two mocktails. However, it is sad to see that we are the only table, and this severe winter for local dining industry is very worrying. I hope everyone can continue to support good restaurants so they can survive and be prosperous again.