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.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Prawn and Avocado Cream Spaghetti 鮮蝦與酪梨奶油義大利麵

Ingredients (for 2):

• Spaghetti - 160g
• Prawn - 10 
• Avocado - 1
• Parsley - dashes
• White dashi - 3 tbsp
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Milk - 150ml

Procedures:

1. Put the spaghetti in boiling water to cook for 2 minutes less than the time recommended on the package.

2. Remove the spaghetti to the frying pan.

3. Add in white dashi, olive oil, milk, prawn and cook at medium-low heat until boiling.

4. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes to ensure everything is cooked through. 

5. Add in the chopped avocado and mix well.

6. Serve with parsley sprinkled on top.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Sushi Zinc

Because of my travel, I unfortunately cannot attend the second anniversary of Sushi Zinc, in which Chef Zinc had invited his mentor Paolo Monti for a few nights of four-hands collaboration, combining Japanese and Italian cuisine. Returning home, I immediately went to his restaurant in Shau Kei Wan to ask what I had missed.

As typical, I start with a serving of sake, taking the seasonal limited 夏酒 from Abe Brewery 阿部酒造 ($300). This summer’s sake has a clean and refreshing taste, very suitable for enjoying during the summer season.

The first course of the Omakase Menu ($2,400 each) features local Tomatoes, with the chopped pieces sitting on top of a refreshing jelly made from fermented tomatoes, with garlic flower on top to give a bit of fragrance.

The second course is Murasaki-Uni. From Yura at Awaji, this famous purple sea urchin has rich and intense flavours, with a unique longan and mango taste. Chef Zinc just uses some snowflake salt to season for the best effects.

The third course features Madai from Ehime. To pair with the sashimi of the Japanese red seabream, Chef Zinc uses the fish bones to prepare a broth, then with its shirako to make a creamy white sauce. On the side are the grilled salted fish roes, grounded as seasoning.

The fourth course is Hamaguri Tart. After cooking the large clams for a day to soften them, he cut them into small pieces, mixed with mascarpone cheese and then added with some prized sansho flowers, finishing with a pinch of sansho peppers to season.

The second sake I have is Rihaku Brewery 李白酒造 from Shimane. The bottle 特別純米 樽酒 ($300) has been aged in Sugi barrel, with a fragrant fir aroma and mellow texture, a very special sake that you must try it out if happen to come across.

The fifth course is Hotaru-Ika Tempura. The firefly squid is almost towards the end of the season, very large, with Chef Zinc stuffing it with the famous local shrimp paste from Tai O for extra umami and savoury flavours.

Proceeding to sushi, the first piece is from an 8-catty Takanohadai, or spottedtail morwong, caught in Sai Kung and aged for two weeks, seasoned with a bit of green yuzu and salt to highlight its original flavours. Truly deserved to be known as one of best local fish.

The second piece is Umigikugai, or thorny oyster, again coming from Sai Kung. Even though its name has the word oyster, it is not of the family, more akin to scallop, with a nice intense umami taste and crunchy texture.

The third piece is Shiro-Ika from Fukuoka, with Chef Zinc adding a bit of Karashi Mentaiko inside the white squid for a bit of spiciness and rich umami as seasoning. To break the fiber and make it easy to eat, the surface has been meticulously cut as well.

The fourth piece is Shiro-Uni from Hokkaido. The prized white sea urchin is very large in size, super expensive as it is one of the first to be auctioned in the market, with good sweetness and creamy texture.

The third sake菊姫 山廃純米無濾過生原酒 ($300) from Kikuhime in Ishikawa. This special sake is unpasteurized, retaining freshness and having a bold and raw flavours, keeping a good acidity which is rather unique for undiluted sake.

The fifth piece is local Threadfin, caught in Sai Kung. At the end of the season, this one is the last piece we can enjoy before the coming Autumn. With a tender texture, the rich flavours of the fatty fish again showcase why this is another of the best local fish.

The sixth piece features the Kegani shown to us earlier. After taking the meat from the horsehair crab to make the sushi, Chef Zinc added Karasumi marinated in homemade plum wine, to add an extra dimension of umami and savoury flavours.

Returning to shuko, the sixth course serves Konagai Kaki ‘Karen’ from Nagasaki. Instead of having the oyster raw, Chef Zinc grills it half-cooked, retaining the jus and adding the Spring vegetable Gyoja Ninniku to make a sauce to complement.

The seventh course features Fish Maw from Threadfin, with Chef Zinc first cooking them in a broth made from the fish bones, before wrapping them inside a nori sheet and deep-frying in tempura style, and paired with the grounded salted threadfin as seasoning.

The eighth course is Kobashira, the abductor muscle of round clams, in vinaigrette dressing, with also shredded Nagaimo, where the Japanese yam has been cut into thin shreds like noodles. With a few shiso flowers, it is a refreshing transition.

The seventh is Saba Maki. The mackerel comes from Oita, and together with homemade Kanpyo, Shiso, and sesame, marinated Kombu on top, are wrapped in nori sheet to make a sushi roll. A traditional style sushi roll which is tasty and filling.

The eighth piece features local Kuruma-Ebi, or tiger prawn, half cooked to retain partially the texture when it is raw, while getting the sweetness of the cooked prawn, plus also the oil made from the prawn head to increase the flavours even further.

The ninth piece is Akami, with the lean tuna having a silky-smooth texture, very tender on the bite. Unlike the traditional style where the tuna would be marinated in shoyu for a period, this one does not retain the original taste and is also less salty.

The fourth sake is an aged sake 達磨正宗 十年古酒 ($200), 10-Year-Old from Daruma Masamune, a premium aged sake producer in Gifu. Its mellow and deep flavours are exceptional and creates a totally different experience to the normal sake.

The tenth piece is O-Toro. With Chef Zinc using a new different cut to prepare this hay-smoked fatty tuna, in a flat, thinner cut so initially it gives me the impression of a piece of cured ham, with a bit of grated garlic to season to balance the fattiness.

The Tamagoyaki is made mixing the eggs with a fish broth made from Kombu, Bonito and Maguro, with a fluffy texture and rich umami taste. On the side is the grated local radish to accompany the omelet.

To finish the meal, a Hot Soup with Yamato-Shijimi, or Japanese basket clams, is served. With also the famous and rare Poi Toi Island seaweed, which has been lightly grilled, the umami of the soup is amazingly intense.

Feeling that I did not drink enough on the night, I asked for the fifth and final sake, trying the prized 達磨正宗 二十年古酒 20-Year-Old Daruma Masamune ($360). With a bit more acidity than the last one, it is rich in black sugar fragrance and extremely smooth.

Dessert is Panna Cotta made from sushi rice from Yamagata. The rice is stir-fried and then infused into milk, providing sweetness and stickiness to replace the sugar and gelatin. Very enjoyable with some rice crisps on top to give extra layer of texture.

Service is very good as always, and the choice and quality of the ingredients remain top notch. The bill on the night is $6,303 and considering the overall dining experience and food quality, I would continue to rate this restaurant an Exceptional 85 points, must try.