Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - The Queen 后園

Today we come to FWD House 1881 at TST, to try out this Chinese restaurant. Arriving at the main building of the former marine police headquarters, through the side-door leading into the inner courtyard, we come to ‘The Queen’.

The décor has a classic Chinese vibe, with the walls using the traditional pattern window grilles with backlights to simulate the lights diffusing into the room. The furniture, the utensils, and even the music in the background, are all displaying elements of the 50s.

To start, we have Pan-Fried Mud Carp Cake 家鄉煎鯪魚餅 ($148). With six large pieces, the fish cake has a bouncy texture, seasoned well and pan-fried beautifully to golden brown. Pleasant on the look and equally nice on taste. A good start.

My wife has Double-Boiled Pig Lung Soup with Almond 杏汁蓮子燉白肺湯 ($148). The soup is sweet in taste, with the pig lung cleaned thoroughly and without any weird flavours. The fragrant almond adds to the complexity. Nice.

I have Hot & Sour Seafood Soup 海鮮酸辣湯 ($138) instead. With bean curd, wood ear, shiitake mushroom, bamboo shoots, conpoy, scallops, shrimps, the soup has nice spiciness but can see more sourness to balance. Decent.

For the main dish we have Steamed Ma Yau with Chicken Oil 雞油蒸馬友 ($438). The local threadfin is cut in the butterfly style, with the chicken oil and Chinese yellow wine add richness and flavours to the firm fish meat. Best dish on the night, excellent.

The Braised Bean Curd with Bamboo Piths 紅燒竹笙豆腐 ($178) may seem a simple dish, but in fact from the tenderness of the vegetable and the seasoning of the sauce, we can tell the chef has paid attention in preparation. Very good in taste.

We have Black Sesame Rolls 生磨芝麻卷 ($78), with rich sesame flavours and the white sesame scattered on the rolls add a bit of crunch on the bite. The Lotus Seeds and Lily Bulb in Chestnut Puree 蓮子百合栗子露 ($78) is rich in chestnut flavours and creamy.

Service is good, with the staff friendly and attentive. But like almost all Chinese restaurants they can introduce the dishes in more details to allow diners to better appreciate. The bill on the night is $1,265 and is reasonable. Good experience. Should try their dim sum next time.

Wineshark Weekend Cooking - Fish Maw and Shredded Duck Thick Soup 魚肚鴨絲羹

Ingredients (for 4):

• Fish maw - 2 pieces
• Ginger wine - 1 tbsp
• Conpoy - 4
• Shiitake mushroom - 4
• Dried mandarin peel - 1 corner
• Roasted duck - 200g
• Bamboo shoot - 3/4 cup
• Chicken stock - 4 cup
• Shredded ginger - 1 tbsp
• Garlic chives - 150g
• Tapioca starch - 3 tbsp 
• Water - 2 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
• White pepper powder - 1/8 tsp
• Sesame oil - 2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Soak the fish maw overnight, and then put in boiling water to cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool down. Then put in cold water to soak overnight. Repeat for one more time.

2. Soak the conpoy in water until softened.

3. Soak the shiitake mushroom in water until softened.

4. Soak the dried mandarin peel in hot water until softened.

5. Grate the peeled ginger and squeeze the juice out. Add a tablespoon of rice wine to mix the ginger wine.

6. Heat the pan and then pour in the ginger wine, and cook the fish maw in it briefly to remove the fishy taste.

7. Break the conpoy to shreds. Retain the soaking water.

8. Cut the shiitake mushroom into shreds. Retain the soaking water.

9. Cut the mandarin peel into fine shreds.

10. Cut the fish maw into strips of 4cm long and 1/2cm wide.

11. Cut the ginger into shreds.

12. Cut the garlic chives into sections of 2cm long.

13. Remove the skin, bone and fat of the roasted duck, then cut into shreds.

14. Heat up the chicken stock with conpoy (and soaking water) plus shiitake mushroom (plus soaking water).

15. Add the shredded mandarin peel, continue to cook for 10 minutes under medium heat.

16. Add shredded ginger, shredded bamboo shoot, fish maw strips, and roasted duck shreds in. Bring to boiling.

17. Mix the tapioca starch with water. 

18. Add into the soup while continue to stir, to thicken the soup.

19. Add soy sauce in, mix well. Then season with white pepper powder.

20. Add the garlic chives in, and then add sesame oil. Stir well.

21. Serve.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Eggslut

This burger restaurant has just recently announced they will be closing at the end of the month. As a result, there is a buzz with people coming to try it out, so it is not a surprise when we come on this Friday evening, even at early hours of 6pm, there is already a queue lining up.

Located at Festival Walk in Causeway Bay, it is founded in 2011 by a group of egg fanatics. The décor is simple, with an industrial vibe, concrete floor and walls, basic furniture, and everything is more catered for a quick bite.

After queueing for over 30- minutes it is my turn, and we order the Fairfax Sandwich ($78 each), with mine also adding the Ground Angus Beef ($45 supplement). Inside the sandwich there are free-range soft scrambled eggs with chives, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese and sriracha mayo in a warm brioche bun.

The bun is very soft and buttery, while the scrambled eggs are oozing, having a great texture, not too runny, but also not hard. The beef patty is nicely seasoned as well. The best element is the touch of sriracha chili sauce, giving a slight spicy kick which adds wonders to the sandwich. It is truly good.

We also have a Crispy Ocean Stick ($45), with the deep-fried fish fingers paired with a homemade mayo sauce. It is a bit disappointing though, with the crust of the fish fingers not crispy, and the mayo not having sufficient acidity. Honestly can skip this one.

With a cup of Hot Coffee ($33) and a glass of Orange Juice ($37), the bill on the night is $316. The burger is good, but the other things are lackluster. The drinks are crazily expensive also. Good to try it once but not a place I would return again unfortunately.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Restaurant Petrus

To celebrate CNY, we have decided to go to a Michelin-starred restaurant, and since our last visit to Restaurant Petrus was already back in 2020, today we come again to Island Shangri-La to experience the French cuisine, under the helm of Executive Chef Uwe Opocensky.

Located on Level 56, the décor has not changed, with lush carpet, high ceiling with crystal chandelier and murals, and traditional European royal setting offering a posh dining ambience, with also the amazing harbour view looking out from the large windows.

I have decided to take the 8-course menu ($2,988) while my wife has the 6-course version ($2,288). After starting with a glass of Krug Grande Cuvee ($560) as aperitif, I have the Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc 2015 ($4,000) for the night. A fantastic wine without a huge mark-up.

The Amuse Bouche is a Tuile made from dried vegetable including baby carrot and onion, made to a wafer-thin crisp that is paired with a tartar dipping sauce. The other snack is Smoked Salmon Tartlet, with the salmon tartare adding a bit of caviar on top. A nice start.

The first course features Oyster, from the famous French producer Ostra Regal, with rich, buttery flavours and delicate texture. The chef has thoughtfully cut into pieces to facilitate eating. It is added with cucumber oil, buttermilk, and a puree with hints of sweet and spice. Refreshing.

The second course is Foie Gras, presented in a great way. From the famous producer George Bruck in Alsace, the foie gras are stuffed inside a wine-poached pear and sliced, so it fully recreates the pear in shape, with some pear powder on the side. There are also brioche toasts provided to allow us to spread the foie gras on top to consume. Delicious.

For the third course we both select Red Prawn ($388 supplement). Signature of the restaurant, the carabinero is large in size and grilled perfectly. The meat is sweet, paired with homemade garum for touch of savoury. The sourdough on the side is thoughtfully arranged to soak up the essence in the prawn head. Phenomenal.

The fourth course features King Crab from Norway. Underneath the delicious and meaty king crab leg is some Japanese-style steamed egg, or chawanmushi, at the bottom. The yuzu kosho helps to provide seasoning, and the dish finishes with a crustacean sauce that enhances the flavours of the delicate crab meat. Delicious.

The fifth course is Turbot from France. The fish fillet is pan-seared beautifully, with the surface slightly crisp while the flesh still remains moist and tender. On the side is a piece of celeriac providing contrast in texture, while the horseradish puree to give a bit of spiciness. The dish finishes with a fish sauce infused with oyster to give a wealth of seafood flavours. Delicious.

For the sixth course we have both chosen Beef Calotte. The beef comes from a famous family farm called Brandt in Southern California, with the cut being lean but also soft. Nicely grilled, it is added with some shaved truffle to give a slight earthy note, along with a truffle beef jus. On the side is tarte tatin made from onion and pulled beef cheek with some cheese sauce, plus an onion puree. Another phenomenal dish with great taste and flavours.

The seventh course features Donabe Rice. The Hokkaido Koshihikari rice is cooked in the earthen pot with chicken broth, with a perfect texture, neither too hard nor too soft. With some finely chopped spring onion to give fragrance, supplemented with the earthy note of truffle on top. There are also some grilled cauliflowers on the side which adds sweetness to the rice. Delicious.

The eighth and last course is Souffle, and the interesting twist is that the main ingredient is actually potato. Added to the fluffy souffle is a potato vanilla ice-cream, and then the staff shaves a generous amount of black truffle on top, to give the earthy tone to the dessert. Delicious.

The Petits Fours includes Orange Chocolate Peel, Chocolate Truffle, Madeleine to go with cream or mandarin jam, and Elderflower Jelly. All nice treats and adjusted to the local palate so not too sweet. A satisfying conclusion to the wonderful meal, especially over a cup of nice espresso.

Service is very good, with the staff attentive and friendly. The bill on the night is $11,878 but mainly it is driven by the bottle of wine I ordered. Considering quality of food and the whole dining experience, this remains one of my top picks of local French restaurants, especially if you like wine.