Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - House of Culture

This restaurant is pretty new, which has opened for six months only, and have Gavin Chin, who used to be the head chef of Brut! before starting this business, taking the helm. Located in Sai Ying Pun, at the entrance they proudly displayed a board with the hand-written comments from diners, showing their good feedback from prior visits.

The interior décor has a contemporary and hip vibe, using plenty of pinkish hue on the bar, with whitewashed walls and lightings recreating a feeling of a relaxing place in the Mediterranean. There are a few alcoves which presents into a semi-private space. With good energy and music, the only issue is that the tables are quite packed together.

We order The Chaos Menu ($658 each), with some of the chef’s signature as well as off-menu items. The starter is Scallops, diced and mixed with some wasabi and yuzu dressing, plus the crunchy jicama and cucumber, all put inside the homemade pani puri. This finger-food is refreshing, with the different texture appealing and the delicate taste wakes up the palate with acidity from the dressing. Good.

The next course has a great presentation. Featuring Leek, the chef wrapped them on nori sheet, pressed and cut to form a layer. In-between the leeks are apricot pulp and raisin, adding a bit of sweetness and fruity taste to the leeks. The kumquat sauce integrates the two components well, bringing a good harmony in taste to the dish. Good.

The third course is Chicken Liver Pate, with the creamy homemade pate having prepared together with cognac and celeriac to give a nice fragrance. Putting on top are chopped leeks that are mixed with fruit jam, as well as some green grapes and spicy toasted hazelnuts, drizzled with some olive oil. On the side is the freshly baked brioche to allow us to spread the pate to enjoy. Good.

The fourth course is my favourite in the meal. The Daikon, or Japanese radish, has been braised in a broth made from shiitake and blaze mushroom to fully absorbed the umami flavours, combining with the sweetness of the radish itself. The chef has caramelized the surface with butter, with some crispy crumbs on top to create a nice bite. With a bit of mustard the taste is amazing. Very good.

Coming to the fifth course, Lamb Rack. Marinated with shio koji and curry powder, the lamb is grilled to medium rare, keeping it juicy and tender, while the meat has the right amount of fat to give flavours without being excessively fatty. On the side is some greens, water chestnut and horseradish puree to balance the palate to make the whole dish more healthy and not too heavy. Good.

Before transitioning to the main course is the palate cleanser, featuring Pickled Tomato. With a strip of pickled radish on top, the acidity of the tomato is refreshing, having a delicate sweetness as well. Interestingly, underneath the chef has added some spring onion and ginger, the same condiment in the dipping sauce for steamed chicken, to create a more complex experience in taste. Good.

The seventh course is Rendang Short Rib. The beef short rib has been slow cooked for 12 hours, with the meat completely detached from the bone, very tender and full of flavours. On top of the short rib are a crust of toasted coconut and Thai basil, with also the Rendang sauce poured on the side to integrate the Asian taste into this fusion dish. Very good.

Accompanying the short rib is the Fresh Fennel to provide the balance. The fennel has been shredded to strips, then added with some jam and sprinkled with gremolata on top. Gremolata is a type of green sauce made from chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic, adding acidity and vibrancy to the fennel. A nice complement to help remove the heaviness from the meats. A thoughtful side fish to go with the short ribs. Good.

The dessert is Kopyor Coconut Granita, refreshing and sweet in taste. The chef has added the two creams, made from coriander and coconut respectively, on top to create a colourful combination. On the outside are almond crisps, offering a contrast in texture, and also the calamondin vinegar sprayed to give a bit of citrus sourness to the dessert. With a complex array of flavours from the complementary combination, it demonstrates the creativity of the chef. Good.

Service is good, with the staff friendly and explaining the dishes to us in details. Together with the beverages, the bill is $1,817 which is reasonable. No wonder this place is so popular, with a full house on the night, as well as people waiting for the second seating while we are leaving. I have left them a note congratulating them for the nice food and service, and wonder whether it will end up on the board outside?

Wineshark Japan Journey - Oncri 古湯温泉 Oncri

After shopping we drove to the ryokan 旅館 Oncri, located in Furuyu Onsen 古湯温泉, which is recognized as a beauty hot spring. The ryokan is in the heart of Mt. Sefuri 脊振山, surrounded by mountain streams, trees, and wildlife.

Stepping through the noren curtain 暖簾 at the entrance is the check-in counter and concierge desk, where we completed a simple registration before the staff brought us tea and snacks to freshen up the fatigue of driving.

We have booked the Oncri Suite (Room 601), located on the 6/F, which has a combination of Japanese and Western elements. Through the white torii-style 鳥居 entrance is the sliding door of the suite.

The genkan 玄関 is spacious, with an alcove displaying a piece of nice painting. Taking off the shoes we went into the huge suite, which includes a 12-mat Japanese living room, a Western style living room, and a bedroom with twin beds.

The 12-mat Japanese living room is huge, with large windows looking out to the hills, offering plenty of light. The area can be converted to accommodate more beds for bigger family, with a maximum number of 8 people staying.

In the Japanese living room, there is a side room which serves as a walk-in closet, with a full-size mirror as well.

The Western style living room is also very large, carpeted and having leather sofas, tea table and a large TV. With windows on two side looking out to the same nice view of the hills.

The bedroom has two soft, and very comfortable beds, a make-up table, very neat and cozy, offering a sense of warmth and relaxing ambience.

The make-up room also is big, with two sinks and a full-height towel cabinet.

Through the make-up room it connects to a very large bathroom, with a private cypress bath. Opening the windows will create a semi-open environment to provide a soothing bath experience to take away the tiredness of the day.

Unique to this floor, there is a library lounge at the lift lobby, providing guests staying here to relax and enjoy some readings or conversations in a quiet space.

Going back down to the first floor, we took a walk around the hotel facility. There are some contemporary designs featured in different parts of the ryokan, which combined with the darker colour of black and brown created a modern and relaxing atmosphere.

Facing the lift lobby on the first floor is a small gallery with many books illustrating local ceramics and pottery. Saga has been historically a great producer of ceramics in Japan.

On the right-hand side of the concierge is Gift Shop offering local and seasonal products from Saga, with also a kid’s space and gallery adjacent.

While on the left-hand side of the check-in counter is Sebri, a bar and restaurant that overlooks the mountain gorge through the window. The Italian restaurant offers both lunch and dinner while the bar is a good spot to enjoy after-dinner drinks.

We then took a walk along the road leading to the ryokan, where we saw quite a lot of sakura blooming. Catching the right timing to visit Saga, we were just starting to see the full bloom happening here.

Returning to the room we took a dip at Shiori, the public bath in the ryokan. With their own hot spring source producing 43 tons of water per day, the temperature is at 38 degree C, slightly lukewarm, and ideal for therapy and can be soaked for a long time.

The Men’s large public bath has many different facilities, including walking bath, ceramic bath, lying bath, sauna and jacuzzi. Going outside the open-air bath has the cypress bath, utase bath (with the water coming down like a waterfall), rock bath, pail bath, box steam bath, and water bath.

There is another house which offers natural hot sand bath, but a separate bathing fee applies. Already very contented after a relaxing dip and having fun enjoying the various facilities, we did not experience that. 

The kaiseki dinner is very good. After a full meal we retired to the room, waking up in the next morning refreshed and energized. Breakfast is served at Sebri, buffet style, but because of the relatively small space it is quite crowded. The quality of food is quite nice though.

The cost for the stay and dinner is 103,110 yen for two persons. My overall rating is 7.7 out of 10.

  

Address: 佐賀市富士町大字古湯556

Telephone: 0952-51-8111

Website: https://oncri.com/

Wineshark Cooking Class - Braised Abalone with Shiitake and Snow-Ear Mushroom 小網鮑燜冬菇雪耳

Ingredients (for 4):

• Small abalone - 1 can
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 2 tsp
• Dried shiitake mushroom - 12
• Flour - 1 tbsp
• Snow-ear mushroom - 25g
• Chicken stock - 1 cup
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Tapioca starch  - 1.5 tsp
• Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
• Ginger - 3 slices
• Salt - 1/4 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 2 tsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Oyster sauce - 1 tbsp
• Dark soy sauce - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Soak the dried shiitake mushroom until softened.

2. Soak the snow-ear mushroom until it expanded to original size.

3. Remove the stem of the shiitake mushroom. Filter the soaking water and keep for later use.

4. Cut away the hard part of the snow-ear mushroom at the bottom. 

5.Scoop the flour to the shiitake mushroom and wash thoroughly. Then rinse clean.

6. Add the soaking water back to the shiitake mushroom, add in ginger, salt, sugar, Chinese yellow wine and oil.

7. Steam the shiitake mushroom for one hour until softened. Keep the juice.

8. Cut the garlic into slices.

9. Mix oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar together as seasoning mixture.

10. Blanch the snow-ear mushroom in hot water briefly. Remove and drip dry.

11. Heat the wok with 1 tbsp of oil, then add in the snow-ear mushroom to stir-fry.

12. Add the chicken stock in, and cook until the snow-ear mushroom softened. Remove. 

13. Put the canned abalone in hot water to cook for 5 hours. After cooling, open the can to take the abalone out.

14. Keep the juice in the can for later use.

15. Take 1/4 cup of the shiitake mushroom juice and add in the tapioca starch to mix well for the glaze.

16. Heat the wok with 1 tbsp of oil, then add in the garlic. 

17. Sprinkle the Chinese yellow wine, then add in the abalone juice. 

18. Add the abalone in, as well as the seasoning mixture.

19. Add in the shiitake mushroom. 

20. As well as the shiitake mushroom juice.

21. When the sauce boils, add in the snow-ear mushroom to braise.

22. When the sauce has reduced by half, add in the glaze to thicken the sauce. Turn off the heat and pour a few drops of sesame oil. Mix well.

23. Serve.