Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - The Merchants 嘗申滙

Having had a couple of great experiences visiting this restaurant before, we decided to pick this one again to celebrate Christmas Eve, coming up to Forty-Five Gloucester Tower in Landmark. Specializing in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine, we have opted for the Hairy Crab Journey ($1,388 each) for the night.

The décor has not changed, offering a nice dining experience with cherrywood banquettes in the middle and tables on both sides. We are seated this time at a table on the window side, looking out to the gorgeous views of Central and Victoria Harbour. On the opposite side the wallpaper depicting traditional Chinese paintings are also beautifully done.

I have a bottle of Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aine Le Chevalier de Sterimberg 2019 ($1,620) to pair with the food. The Hermitage white is a blend of Marsanne and Roussanne, and has a nice flinty minerality, with plenty of ripe fruit including some pineapple, pear, white peach and melon. A full-bodied wine to match the food, it has an attractive palate. 

The first course is The Merchants Selection of Classic Appetizers, including three signature starters. Chilled Crystal Ham is nice with a bit of shredded ginger and vinegar. The chef has used pomfret to prepare Smoked Fish, so that we don’t need to worry about the small bones. And Braised Wheat Gluten has a rich taste and is not overly sweet.

The second course is Six-Tael Taihu Lake Hairy Crab. Serving in the traditional way by steaming, the crabs are of decent size, rich in crab roe. The restaurant also offers to help remove the meat on our behalf if we desire. A thoughtful approach for someone who do not want to get their hands dirty, but we are more into the fun of picking meat by ourselves.   

For the third course, we have changed to Shark’s Fin with Hairy Crab Roe for both ($488 additional) instead of the original tofu broth. The serving is generous, with plenty of shark’s fin and abundance mix of crab roe. It is also steaming hot for the best sensory enjoyment, delicious in taste, and after finishing one would be more than half-full already.

The fourth course is Stir-Fried Shrimp with Hairy Crab Roe. Another wonderful hot dish, the river shrimp have a nice, sweet taste, wonderfully bouncy in texture. The delicate taste is supplemented with the more intense crab roe but the two has good harmony in flavours, particularly when adding some Zhejiang vinegar. Not to be missed.

The fifth course is Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Hairy Crab Roe. The glass noodles have a chewy texture, picking up the intense umami flavours of the crab roe soup perfectly. There are also shredded bamboo shoots to provide a crunchy contrast in texture to the noodles. It is so good that I end up finishing all the soup as well.

To take a break of the crab roe, the sixth course is White Cabbage with Jinhua Ham. The white cabbage has been braised in a supreme broth, picking up a nice savoury taste on top of its original sweetness. With a few pieces of Chinese ham to add a touch of saltiness, it is another ‘simple’ dish but made with care to showcase amazing taste.

Another add-on we have is Stir-Fried Hairy Crab Roe with Clay Pot Rice ($1,388). The rice is served in a sizzling hot clay pot, and then the staff pours in the rich stir-fried crab roe, before mixing them well. Truly the highlight of the night in my opinion, the rice picks up all the flavours of the crab roe, and I cannot resist finishing every single grain.

The seventh course includes Xiao Long Bao infused with Hairy Crab Roe and Pan-Fried Juicy Pork Bun with Hairy Crab Roe. Both are fantastic dim sum I would order on its own, with the xiao long bao holding the delicious crab roe and minced pork with soup inside. The bun has a crispy bottom and bursts with the oil from the rich crab roe on the bite.

The eighth and final course is Glutinous Rice Dumplings in Warming Ginger Tea. To warm the stomach after having so much crab roe, the chef thoughtfully prepares the ginger tea, with pleasant, sweet spiciness, plus a couple of soft glutinous rice dumplings with sesame fillings. A filling and satisfying finale to a great feast of hairy crab.

Service is good but compared with the prior visits I feel the staff are not as welcoming as they were, without taking time connecting with us or explaining the food. The bill on the night is $7,562. Overall, the food still delivers our fond memories and expectation, and I would rate this restaurant an Excellent 83 points. Worth returning. 

Wineshark Home Cooking - Natto Creamy Japanese Style Spaghetti 納豆奶油和風義大利麵

Ingredients (for 2):

• Spaghetti - 160g
• Natto - 2 pack
• Nori shreds - 2 pinches
• Black pepper finely - dashes
• White dashi - 2 tbsp
• Butter - 20g
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Water from pasta - 150ml

Procedures:

1. Boil a pot of water, then add in the spaghetti to cook for 2 minutes less than the recommended time on the packaging.

2. Transfer the cooked spaghetti to the frying pan.

3. Add in natto (with also the seasoning in the package), white dashi, butter, olive oil, and water from pasta.

4. When the sauce boils, continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes. 

5. Serve with nori shreds and black pepper finely.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Hana no Kumo 花雲

As The Henderson has become a hip landmark in Admiralty, with a few restaurants also starting business, two months ago we had a good experience dining at the contemporary Korean restaurant Akira Back. Today we come to Hana no Kumo, a Japanese kappou restaurant located on Summit 38, to see whether it can keep up with our expectation.

The glamorous entrance leads to a circular room, with a rounded counter surrounding the central preparation station. The ceiling has a beautiful light fixture, like the petals of a flower, echoing the name of the restaurant. The use of wood and stone also creates a natural and comfortable dining atmosphere. 

Soon all the other customers arrived, and the dinner duly starts. The December Menu 師走 御献立 ($2,380 each) has ten courses, and I also order a bottle of 新政Colors 生成 Ecru 2024 ($2,380) from the famous 秋田県 sake brewery 新政酒造. The taste is pure, and this entry-level Aramasa is versatile and a good match with food.

The starter is 車海老 ラフランスの白和え. The crunchy Tiger Prawn and sweet La France pear are cut into small cubes, mixed with Shira-ae, a creamy mashed tofu salad with some spinach, before adding some caviar on top to give a touch of savoury and colour, making this starter even more premium and delicious.

The appetizer is 香箱蟹の茶碗蒸し. The seasonal Female Snow Crab is a prized specialty, only allow for catch during November to January. Its delicate Crabmeat and intense flavoured miso are used to prepare a thick sauce on the Steamed Egg of silky-smooth texture and serve very hot in temperature for the best effect. 

The signature course is 蒸し鮑と雲丹の磯辺餡掛け. The Steamed Abalone is cooked to perfection, tender and not rubbery in texture. The creamy Hokkaido Bafun Sea Urchin on top, together with the delicious Seaweed Sauce, provide sweetness and umami to enjoy the natural flavours of the abalone to the full extent. 

The seasonal clear soup is 甘鯛 舞茸. The broth is prepared from shaved bonito and kombu without pressing, rich in amazing umami flavours. A grilled piece of Tilefish, with a slight golden surface while the flesh remains moist and soft, is added, together with the prized Japanese Maitake Mushroom, for its wonderful aromas.

The cold dish is Seasonal Sashimi 旬のお造り, which include Hirame 平目, Buri 鰤, and Toro トロ. Apart from the usual shoyu and wasabi, which are for olive flounder and tuna, a special pickled sauce is served to highlight the flavours of the yellowtail. A small engawa, skirt of flounder, is supplemented also so we can enjoy its nice chewy bite. 

The assorted dishes 山海佳肴 features a platter utilizing the best seasonal ingredients, including shimeji and shungiku in dashi, deep-fried hamo, grilled ox tongue, deep-fried taro, fresh tomato with sesame sauce, grilled engawa sushi, boiled mukago, and chicken liver pate in monaka. A beautiful presentation with all the items tastes good. 

For Main Seafood Dish 海の幸, the chef braises the Ise-Ebi to perfection, with the lobster meat having a sweet taste and crunchy bite, and served in a creamy white Shirako Sauce, matching the cod milt sauce well with Daikon, the seasonal turnip, and Spinach. Both vegetables are of good quality and without any fibrous residue.

The Main Meat Dish 山の幸 features a charcoal-grilled Omi Beef, prepared to medium rare per my preference. The steak is juicy and tender, having just tiny amount of seasoning to highlight the original flavours of the prized wagyu. It is served also with some fresh salad and a piece of sweet potato on the side. 

There are two options for Rice, and we have picked Wagyu & Black Truffle with Soft Boiled Rice 和牛トリュフ温泉卵ご飯. We have also requested to have additional white truffles ($100 each), which are perfect match with the wagyu slices, enhancing the flavours tremendously. The rice is also served together with miso soup and pickles. 

The dessert is Seasonal Fruits & Chestnut Ice Cream Monaka 旬のフルーツ 栗アイス最中. The fruit includes muscat grape, strawberry, and melon, all very juicy and sweet, while the monaka contains the homemade chestnut ice-cream, sandwiched in the rice cracker, with a nice Christmas decoration to celebrate this festive season.

The bill on the night is $8,074. Service is nice, but the staff should learn more about the food in order to introduce. It is also annoying to have a group of customers who keep talking loudly and speak in foul languages beside us, which ruin the dining experience. Discarding that, I would rate this restaurant for a Good 78 points. Can try.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Stir-Fried Shredded Beef with Bean Sprouts and Green Bell Pepper 銀芽青椒炒肉絲

Ingredients (for 2):

• Bean sprouts - 200g
• Beef - 150g
• Green bell pepper - 2
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Marinade
• Cooking wine - 1/2 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 1/2 tbsp
• Tapioca starch - 1/2 tsp
• Seasoning 
• Cooking wine - 2 tsp
• Oyster sauce - 2 tsp
• Soy sauce - 2 tsp
• Sugar - 1.5 tsp
• Sesame oil - dashes
• White pepper powder - dashes

Procedures:

1. Cut the beef into strips.

2. Marinate with cooking wine, soy sauce, and tapioca starch.

3. Cut away the roots of the bean sprouts.

4. Remove the seeds of the green bell pepper and cut into strips.

5. Mince the garlic.

6. Mix cooking wine, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and white pepper powder.

7. Heat the pan with 1/2 tbsp of oil, at medium level, then put the bean sprouts in to cook briefly, then remove.

8. Heat the pan with 1/2 tbsp of oil, at medium level, then put the shredded beef and minced garlic in to stir-fry.

9. Add in green bell pepper and bean sprouts to stir fry.

10. Add in the sauce and stir-fry. 

11. Serve.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Stir Fried Pork Liver with Cured Meat and Garlic Chives 韭菜臘味炒豬膶

Ingredients (for 4):

• Pig liver - 300g
• Chinese cured meat - 100g
• Chinese sausage - 1
• Chives - 200g
• Ginger - 20g
• Chinese yellow wine - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - dashes
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Soy sauce - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Sesame oil - 1 tsp

Procedures:

1. Cut the pig liver into slices about 0.5cm thick.

2. Cut the ginger into shreds.

3. Marinate pig liver with ginger, Chinese yellow wine and white pepper powder for 15 minutes.

4. Steam Chinese cured meat and sausage for 5 minutes.

5. Cut the garlic into slices.

6. Cut the cured meat and sausage into slices.

7. Mix a tsp of oil to pig liver.

8. Cut the chives into 6cm sections. 

9. Heat the wok at high temperature, then pour in 2 tbsp of oil, add in garlic.

10. Add in pig liver together with the shredded ginger and rapidly stir-fry.

11. Add in Chinese cured meat and sausage and continue to stir-fry.

12. Add in salt, sugar and soy sauce, and then add in chives to continue to stir-fry.

13. Add sesame oil, stir well, and then serve.