Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Yuen Long Si Kee 元朗泗記

Hearing that there is a small eatery in Yuen Long with the owner 琼姐still meticulously prepared steamed rice and dim sum to offer at an inexpensive price to customers, all by herself, we come to Yuen Long Kin Yip Street to learn more.

It took us a while to find the small eatery, and once inside, we are pleasantly surprised by the interesting traditional décor, including the small round tables and stools, traditional booth seats, iron shutter gate and small tiles floor. Clean and neat, with wonderful warm familiarity.

While 琼姐 is preparing our steamed rice, she serves us 足料老火湯 ($52). The soup is very nicely done, without any MSG, and we can tell it has been boiled for a long time, extracting the essences of the ingredients with a natural sweetness. It is just like having the soup prepared by my mother.

For the steamed rice, I have 梅菜肉片飯 ($48) while my wife has鹹魚肉片飯 ($48). The rice is separately steamed and only put together on serving, keeping the rice not soggy. The preserved vegetables are not overly salty, with good fragrance, and the meat slices are marinated well and tender. With a bit of homemade soy sauce, I finish the whole portion in no time.

The bill on the day is $148. 琼姐 shares with us her story about this eatery and the difficulty to keep it running. It is only because she wants to retain the flavours passed from her father, she works so hard to maintain the business. It is another HK story that I believe we must do our best to protect, showcasing the great quality and heart of this beautiful place we called our home.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Garlic-scented Crispy Roast Pork 蒜香脆皮腩仔

Ingredients (for 4):

• Pork belly - 2 catty
• Ginger - 80g
• Spring onion - 80g
• Marinade
• Salt - 2 tbsp
• Sugar - 2 tbsp
• Chinese five spice - 1/2 tsp
• Deep-fried garlic - 2 tbsp
• Garlic - 1 tbsp
• Skin Water
• White vinegar - 1 tbsp
• Chinese Rose wine - 1/2 tbsp
• Salt - 1 tbsp (add later)
• Garlic sauce
• Mustard - 1 tbsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Hoi sin sauce - 3tsp
• Ground bean sauce - 3tsp
• Oyster sauce - 1 tsp
• Soy sauce - 3 tsp
• Shaoxing wine - 1 tsp
• Chinese Rose wine - 1 tsp
• Red taro curd - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 4 tsp
• Sesame paste - 1 tsp
• Deep-fried garlic - 1 tsp

Procedures:

1. Cut the spring onion into sections, and cut the ginger into slices.

2. Wash the pork belly.

3. Heat the pot of water to boiling, then add in spring onion and ginger, as well as the pork belly, bring the water to boiling again and cook for 20 minutes under low heat.

4. Remove the pork belly and flush in water to cool it down. Drip dry and cut on the meat side every 1.5 cm to ensure the meat is marinated well.

5. Mix the marinade ingredients together. Then rub on the pork belly and marinate for 1.5 hours.

6.Mix hot sin sauce, ground bean sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, Chinese Rose wine, red taro curd, and sugar well.

7. Heat the saucepan with oil, then add in the sauce mixture. Cook at low heat, then add in sesame paste.

8. Put the special sauce in a bowl for later use.

9. Mix mustard, special sauce, and deep-fried garlic for dipping suace.

10. Remove the marinade from the pork belly. Use the needle to poke the skin repeatedly. Brush the skin water and let it dry for 30 minutes.

11. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. Put the pork belly in, skin up, for 10 minutes to dry it up.

12. Use the needles to poke the pork skin again. Put back into oven and cook for 30 minutes.

13. Wrap the pork with tin foil, leaving only the skin. And put in oven to grill at 250 degrees for 15 minutes.

14. Chop it up and serve with the dipping sauce.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Lucky Indonesia 好運印尼餐廳

After going for a hike in Sai Kung, we returned to Kwun Tong for lunch. Craving for curry, and hearing about this Indonesian restaurant in the neighbourhood, we decided to try it out despite being quite tired, walking all the way from MTR station to Tung Ming Street.

With wood panel walls and bright and clean glass windows, the most eye-catching thing at the entrance is probably the number of Michelin Bib Gourmand labels on the door, with this year being the thirteen years they have won the award.

Walking in and seated at a table on one side, the space is not big, but neat and clean, having some Indonesian cultural decorations on the walls, and a small station at the entrance serving both as a cashier and a bar in preparation of drinks.

The Kare Ayam ($95) with its watery curry sauce is exactly the way it should be, bringing back good memories when I enjoyed the curry chicken in other Indonesian restaurants in HK when I was young. The chicken is decent, but the highlight is the sauce, and I finished the whole serving of the rice with that.

The salad Gado-Gado ($75) is another classic Indonesian dish. Mixing some blanched vegetables, sliced cucumber, hard-boiled eggs, tofu, tempeh, plus the crunchy prawn crackers, with the rich and delicious peanut sauce added, it is a happy, colourful, and tasty sharing dish good for 3-4 people.

Hearing this restaurant has the best satay, we also have Sate Kambing ($110 for half dozen), picking our less-eaten lamb skewers. Made to order and simmering hot from the grill, the meat is tender and juicy, marinated nicely, with the satay sauce also very well-made. No wonder this is the star and next time we should try the others too.

We do order our drinks, including Ice Cendol ($40) and Ice Tiga Dara ($38). But they only came when we had almost finished all the dishes. I noticed the lady was busy collecting money, handling takeaways, and receiving customers, so probably had missed our order originally. A slight hiccup affecting an otherwise nice dining experience.

Service is decent, and there is a good neighbourhood vibe seeing the staff greeting some regulars and it is happy to see families bringing their old and young members to have lunch. The bill on the day is $388. Considering the overall dining experience and food quality, I would rate this restaurant a Good 68 points, worth trying.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Man Ho Restaurant 萬豪金殿

This Michelin 1-star restaurant is located inside JW Marriott Hotel in Admiralty, offering traditional Cantonese cuisine infused with contemporary elements. It has been five years since my last visit, and today we return to see what has changed.

Greeted by the staff warming at the entrance, she led us to the spacious main dining room, seated at a comfortable table near the tea bar. The décor has not changed much, still creating a neat, elegant yet high-end ambience that is relaxing.

I have a bottle of Devo MV03 Brut Nature ($1,080) to pair with the food tonight. A nice sparkling wine from Ningxia in China, it has red apple, lemon peel, white peach over some yeasty notes of brioche and biscuit. There is also a hint of sweet corn in the aroma. Great value for money.

The complimentary amuse bouche is Marinated Green Papaya with Abalone, serving in a passionfruit sauce. The abalone, although small, has intense flavours and a good bite, contrasting with the soft papaya. The sweet and sour taste helps to stimulate the appetite.

For starters, we have Signature BBQ Pork with Honey Sauce ($188 for 4 pieces). The Spanish Iberico pork is very tender, even with the thick cut it is not tough on the bite, with a nice glaze of honey sauce. The smaller portion also allows us to sample this without having to take the full serving, a thoughtful arrangement.

Next, we have Stir-Fried Frog Legs with Soy Sauce ($208). The meaty frog legs have caramelized surface, seasoned well from the high-quality soy sauce used, keeping the umami and savoury but not salty. Adding the spring onion white for fragrance, we both like this dish a lot.

Moving to soups, my wife has Double-Boiled Fish Maw Soup ($288), with the clear soup rich in umami flavours, having plenty of ingredients including conch, conpoy and preserved citrus. The ingredients are premium and high quality, and the touch of citrus helps to bring forth a nice fragrance plus smoothen the throat.

I have the usual pick of Hot and Sour Soup ($248). The soup has a lot of ingredients, including an oyster, finely shredded fish maw, fungus, bean curd and bamboo shoot. The taste of peppercorn is apparent with the spiciness kicking in but not over-dominating. The soup is full of flavours and wonderful in taste.

For the main courses, trying something new we have Sauteed Garoupa Fillets with Chinese Chive Flowers ($688). Elevating the traditional low-end dish, the preserved vegetables, dried white bait and dried shrimps are still the spotlights, with the chive flowers and shredded taro also amazing. My favourite in the evening.

The other one is Tea-Smoked Marinated Chicken with Soy Sauce ($428 for half). Served in casserole, the chicken is tender and juicy, absorbing the smoky fragrance. A lot of preparation must be done for the flavours of the soy sauce to lightly embed into the meat and skin, without making it salty.

The Braised Pomelo Peel ($288) with dried shrimp roe is a dish many restaurants no longer offer because of the effort required, but they cannot charge a high price. Here the pomelo skin is nicely done, not bitter or having any strange taste. The shrimp roe adds umami, with the abalone sauce delicious.

We both take Dessert of the Day ($88 each) which is Red Bean Soup with Aged Tangerine Peel. Appropriate in sweetness, the red beans have been boiled to the right degree, bursting and getting the soup to be ‘sandy’. The tangerine peel was also very fragrant, bringing the common dessert to an extra level.

The complimentary Petits Fours include Yuzu Cake and Coconut Biscuit. The yuzu cake has a refreshing taste, with the citrus notes helping to cleanse the palate. The biscuit is made with shredded coconut meat, with a rich note that is pleasant. A small snack to finish off the dinner on a sweet and happy note.

Service is good, with the staff attentive and helpful but they can also do a more detailed introduction of the dishes. The bill on the night is $4,123 and considering the overall dining experience and food quality, I would rate this restaurant an Excellent 80 points, worth returning.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Lola Maria

This Spanish restaurant is on Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, offering a combination of traditional Spanish cuisine that the chef grew up with, reimagine them with modern creativity and flair, featuring high quality ingredients.

Coming through the red brick entrance, the eatery is quite large, with high ceiling and warm lighting. Arriving in the early evening hours of this Wednesday, it is already packed with many people enjoying drinks and tapas.

We also order a few tapas to start. The Potato Tortilla ($75) is a signature Spanish dish, made from eggs and potatoes. While there are other options with toppings like chorizo or Iberico ham, I believe the original version can best showcase the flavours.

Next is Air Baguette with Brown Anchovy and Lemon Butter ($25 each). On the crunchy baguette there are tails of brown anchovy placed, providing savoury notes on top of the lemon butter for acidity and richness. Delicious.

The third tapas is 30g Iberico Paleta Ham ($138). The ham are from the famous producer la Prudencia, using black pigs that are acorn-fed. With rich fragrance and an amazing savoury delicacy, it is also not too salty.

Then comes Black Seafood Rice Del Senyoret ($245). The traditional Valencian paella has squid, mussels, and shrimp pieces, with the rice cooked in squid ink to give the black colour and unique taste. With a bit of aioli to season, it is very delicious.

Another dish we have is Galician Octopus ($175). Served over grilled potatoes, the octopus are cut into thin slices, sprinkled with plenty of paprika, with mild and smoky flavours. The octopus are quite tender and not rubber in texture.

The Butter Lettuce Salad ($75) is supposed to come earlier but only arrive after we have finished almost everything. Apart from the lettuce, there are some goat cheese, dried tomatoes, sunflower seeds and tomato jam mixed.

An extra dish we have after the initial order is Spanish Red King Prawn Carpaccio ($168). The prawn meat is hammered to paper-thin, of nice sweetness, scattered with some pine nuts, spring onion, and dill oil.

For dessert my wife has Fresh Strawberries, Strawberry Sorbet, Whipped Mascarpone, Lime ($75). The refreshing sorbet with the fresh strawberries, combining with the sweet mascarpone, give a good balance on sweetness and acidity.  

I take Lemon Sorbet with Cava ($55) instead. Another refreshing one with alcohol, the Spanish sparkling wine is poured on the lemon sorbet, giving a nice fizz while reducing the sweetness level at the same time.

Service is decent, with the staff lacking a bit of attention in missing the salad ordered and not until I chased them for it. The bill on the night is $1,244. Considering the overall experience and food quality, I rate this eatery a Good 70 points, worth trying.