Wineshark Home Cooking - Potato with Garlic 蒜茸薯仔粒

Ingredients (for 4):

• Potato - 1 lb
• Milk - 2 oz
• Whipping cream - 2 oz
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Garlic - 1 bulb
• Spring onion - 1 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Put the potato in cold water and bring to boiling. Continue to cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest for another 15 minutes.

2. Chop the spring onion into small pieces.

3. Put the garlic in oven to bake for 15 minutes. 

4. Cut the garlic in half and squeeze out the meat. Then crush them.

5. Peel the skin off the potato. Cut into cubes.

6. Put the potato into a pot, add in milk and whipping cream, crushed garlic, and salt and white pepper powder. Cook until the milk is thickened and almost gone.

7. Add in the spring onion and mix well. Serve on the side of the fish fillet.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Pan-Fried Fish Fillet with Mint Coconut Sauce 煎魚柳椰奶薄荷汁

Ingredients (for 4):

• Fish fillet - 1 lb
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• White pepper finely - 1/4 tsp
• Flour - 1 oz
• Egg - 1
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Onion - 5 oz
• Garlic - 1/2 tsp
• Red chili - 1
• Curry powder - 1 tbsp
• Lemon juice - 2 tsp
• Whipping cream - 4 oz
• Coconut milk - 8 oz
• Coriander - 2 tbsp
• Mint - 1 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Remove the seeds from the red chili and cut into small pieces.

2. Chop the garlic finely.

3. Chop the onion finely.

4. Heat the saucepan with oil, then add in the chopped onion to stir-fry briefly.

5. Add in garlic and red chili, and curry powder to continue to stir-fry until fragrant.

6. Add in lemon juice, coconut milk and whipping cream, then add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of white pepper powder to season. Then add in coriander and mint leaves. Keep warm.

7. Season the fish fillet with salt and white pepper powder.

8. Coat the fillet with flour, then dip in whisked egg. Pan-fry the fillet on a heat pan.

9. Put the fish fillet on the serving plate.

10. Pour the mint coconut sauce on top to serve. 

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Nove at Galleria 九号館

This restaurant used to be quite popular, especially among the foreigner communities, when it was at the Fringe Club. After closing, the branch which opened later at the Galleria still offers dim sum and Chiu Chow delicacies. Today, we came here for dinner, to see how the Chinese cuisine fares under management of the Octavo Group.

It was a quiet evening, with only us and another table. Seated at a table on the lower floor, there were many Chinese décors featuring in the design, from lanterns creating a moody ambience, traditional Chinese paintings and partitions, to the tiled floors. The furniture was a bit dated though with some torn fabric and such.

We started with Salt & Pepper Chinese Noodlefish椒鹽白飯魚 ($125), a good appetizer to start and enjoyed with icy cold beer. The spicy salt was nicely done, infusing the noodlefish with good flavours without feeling excessively of MSG. The noodlefish was also dry and not greasy. Quite nicely done.

Next came Sweet & Sour Pork with Fresh Fruit 鮮果咕嚕肉 ($225). Using pork loin, this traditional dish was prepared with a slight twist, using fresh fruit to replace the canned pineapple, bringing an extra layer of acidity, together with some sesame for fragrance. There was not a paddle of sauce remaining on the dish too.

Then we both had Chicken Soup with Matsutake and Conch 姬松茸乾螺頭燉雞湯 ($135 each). The soup was rich in flavours, using matsutake mushroom, dried longan, pork, silkie chicken and conch head, to double boil the broth for long hours. The soup was delicious. A great value option.

The last dish was Steamed Chicken with Scallion Oil 霸王蔥油雞 ($275 for half). It took a while and was only served after we had finished the rest for some time. The chicken was also greasy, from the scallion oil poured on top. While the taste was decent, it was an overall disappointing dish.

For dessert, I had Chilled Mango Pomelo Sago 楊枝甘露 ($60) and Ivy had Layered Ginger Juice Steamed Cake 千層薑汁糕 ($60). The mango sago was decent in taste, but had too few fruit and sago in it. The ginger juice cake was more nicely done, having the intense ginger taste and giving a satisfying warmth to the stomach.

Service was decent, and the bill on the night was $1,199. Considering the overall food quality and dining experience, I would rate this restaurant a Good 65 points, worth trying. It was quite sad to see though the place was so quiet on a weekend evening. Hope the local dining industry could see some light soon.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Deluxe Restaurant 雅士餐廳

With the media hype about the closing of this restaurant in Luen Wo Hui, Fanling, we came here on a Friday to try it out. Arriving there, the first impression for me was that it really looked similar with Amigo on the outside, the renown French restaurant in Happy Valley. With the time already past the peak lunch hours, we got a table without problem.

Seated at a table on the window side, the interior décor also had certain similarities. The arches, brick walls and the overall ambience had a touch of Amigo too, but apparently in a more local and rudimentary style. Only the set lunch menu was available now due to the popularity, and we both picked Pan-Fried Pork Chop with Black Pepper Sauce ($98 each).

There was a choice of soup, and we had Russian Borscht, which also came with Soft Roll-n-Butter. The signature soup had the nostalgic taste of our memories, with the vegetables and beef stock integrating well, and the touch of spiciness weaving through the palate, exciting the appetite and warming the body. The soft roll was heated and fluffy on texture.

The pan-fried pork chop was only decent in taste though. Although very large in size, both the quality of the pork chop and the black pepper sauce was mediocre. To go with the pork chop I went for the spaghetti while my wife had French fries. There were also some blanched cabbage and carrots on the side.

Together with drinks, the bill on the day was $196. Service was decent for a neighbourhood restaurant, and we could see some regular customers having good chats with the staff. Considering the overall experience, I would rate them a Decent 63 points, can skip if you are more focus on the food.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Sushi Koh

Taking over the space of the former Azito, located at FOCO in Central, where there are also several other well-known sushi restaurants on the same building, it shows the confidence of Sushi Koh, placing Chef Hirokuni Shiga and his team at centre stage with its circular layout, and the other 12-seats surrounding.

I ordered a bottle of 榮光富士 大吟釀 無濾過生原酒 聖域 Sanctuary Eikofuji Sanctuary Daiginjo Muroka Nama Genshu ($1,280) to pair with the Dinner Omakase ($2,480 each). This is one of the premium sakes from the brewery, with plenty of fruit and floral, silky and clean in texture, a good sake to pair with most of the food.

The first course featured Kochi コチ, Japanese Flathead Fish, a rare, prized fish with a firm texture and clean taste. It was the first time I had this as sashimi in all my years of eating Japanese food. Paired with soy sauce and wasabi.

The second course featured Akagai 赤貝, with the crunchy Ark Shell great in umami, paired with a ponzu sauce on top with some nice citrus acidity and a white miso sauce on the bottom for savoury. The shiso flowers further added fragrance.

The third course featured Katsuo 鰹, with the Skipjack Tuna having a wonderful texture. To complement, the chef had added myoga and spring onion to reduce the irony taste of the fish, supplemented with mashed yam and ponzu sauce.

Moving to sushi, the first piece was Shiro-Ika 白烏賊. The White Squid from Kyushu is tender on the bite, with the trick coming from how the chef meticulously cutting on the surface to break the squid and made it less chewy. Sweet in taste.

The second piece was Kasugo 春子鯛. The Young Seabream was a seasonal delicacy, with tender texture and a nice sweetness, with some dusted yuzu shavings on top to stimulate with an appealing citrus note. Wonderful in taste.

The third piece was Aji 鯵. The Horse Mackerel was paired with a bit of grated ginger and scallion on top as seasoning to mask any fishy notes which could throw people off if they did not like even just a tiny bit. This was very fresh, rich in umami.

The fourth piece was Kisu 鱚. The Japanese Whiting had a lean texture, with clean and refreshing flavours. The beautiful fish skin pattern was an easy way to distinguish this classic Edomae early-summer sushi.

The fifth piece was Nishin 鰊, with the Pacific Herring very soft and tender, virtually dissolving in the mouth. The chef had cut into many thin slices and put them together to make the sushi, with a bit of finely shredded onion for seasoning.

Going back to the course, the fifth one was Chawanmushi 茶碗蒸. The steamed egg custard contained Hamaguri 蛤, with the Asian Hard Clams giving additional rich umami flavours to the steamed egg, with a sweet corn puree on top.

The sixth course featured Awabi 鮑, and the Black Abalone was simply huge in size. Cutting the body into slices and wedges to offer two different bites, they were paired with the liver sauce for enhanced flavours, plus a cup of delicious broth on the side.

The seventh course featured Kamasu 魳, with the grilled Barracuda paired with some eggplant, scattered with maguro flakes on top, serving with a cold skipjack tuna broth. A nice summer dish to showcase the seasonal ingredients.

Returning to sushi, the sixth piece was Akami 赤身. The Lean Tuna was very tender in texture, having soaked in soy sauce for a brief while to infuse with the savoury which brought forward the umami flavours even further. Very delicious.

The seventh piece was O-Toro 大とろ, with the chef cutting three thin layers of the Fatty Tuna before kneading to sushi, breaking the chewy tendon. The rich fish oil was wonderful in taste, delicious but not excessively fatty like eating a piece of fat.

The eighth piece was Kohada 小鰭, with the Gizzard Shad salted and marinated in vinegar to give a unique taste. Another classic Edomae sushi which Chef Hiro-san perfected, another of my favorites in the evening.

Then came the eighth course of Taichio 太刀魚, with the meaty Largehead Hairtail nicely grilled over charcoal, with a crisp skin while the flesh remained moist. With a bit of mashed turnip on the side as condiment, great in taste.

The ninth sushi was Kuruma-Ebi 車海老. The Japanese Tiger Prawn was blanched perfectly, giving a bouncy texture and sweet taste that could only be enjoyed when eating them cooked.  

The tenth sushi was Nodoguro 喉黒, with the Blackthroat Seaperch lightly grilled on charcoal to vitalize the fish oil, leaving the flesh a beautiful pinkish hue. The fish oil was fragrant, with intense flavors, amazing in taste.

The eleventh sushi was Murasaki-Uni Temaki 紫海胆. The Purple Sea Urchin was creamy in texture, with a nice, sweet taste. The Chef had put a generous portion in the handroll, almost falling off the cone.

The twelfth piece was Ankimo 鮟肝, with the Chef adding a thin piece of narazuke on the Monkfish Liver before making the sushi, balancing the rich flavors with the unique fermented sake lees to a great effect.

The final piece was Anago Maki 穴子巻, where Chef Hiro-san had added the Conger Eel to the sushi rice along with some julienned cucumber to make the roll. The soft texture of the eel contrasted to the crunchy cucumber nicely.

For the Tamagoyaki 玉子焼, the baked Egg Omelet added with scallops and nagaimo to give an extra layer of umami. The steaming hot Miso Soup was a good way to warm the stomach after the meal, giving satisfying comfort.

Finally, the dessert was Almond Tofu with Melon. The almond tofu was appropriate in sweetness, smooth in texture, with the diced melon giving some additional bite, plus the puree on the bottom balancing with some acidity to freshen the palate.

Service was very good, with good interactions throughout the meal and the experience was pleasant and joyful. The bill on the night was $6,864. Considering the food quality and overall satisfaction I would rate them an Excellent 78 points, worth returning.