Wineshark Home Cooking - Five-Cup Chicken 五杯豉油雞

Ingredients (for 4):

• Chicken - 1
• Shallot - 2
• Ginger slices - 6 
• Shaoxing wine - 100ml
• Water - 100ml
• Soy sauce - 100ml
• Slab sugar - 1
• Rock sugar - 2
• Matured vinegar - 100ml

Procedures:

1. Soak the chicken in brine for 30 minutes. Rinse and drip dry.

2. Cut the ginger into slices, and cut the shallot in quarters.

3. Heat the wok with oil, then turn to low heat and sear the chicken on both sides for a while.

4. Add in Shaoxing wine, water, and soy sauce. Turn up to high heat.

5. Add in ginger and shallot, slab sugar and rock sugar. 

6. Add in the matured vinegar. Once boiling, turn to low heat. 

7. Continue to cook for 50 minutes, repeatedly turning the chicken over and scooping the sauce onto the chicken.

8. Turn to high heat again, pour the condensed sauce on the chicken.

9. Cut the chicken into pieces to serve.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - She Wong Hei 蛇王熙

When I was working in Wanchai, I often went to Causeway Bay for lunch, and She Wong E was one of the places I frequent. With my office moved to Kwun Tong, and the shop also closed a few years back, it is only by now I come to She Wong Hei, located on the same Percival Street and opened by their former manager Hei Goh, to see whether I can find the taste and experience of those old days.

It is a small space, with a few tables and a mini-roasted meat station at the back. The place is neat and tidy though, with also a familiar vibe. After settling down, we order the Snake Soup Set ($136 each), with me going for Liver Sausage Rice 脆皮膶腸飯 while my wife opts for Chicken Rice 蛇汁浸雞飯. The set also includes an appetizer of Marinated Cucumber and Wood-Ear 涼拌拍青瓜雲耳.

The Snake Soup with Fish Maw 花膠燴蛇羹 has plenty of ingredients, with shredded snake meat, chicken meat, pork, shiitake mushroom, wood-ear, plus fish maw to offer extra texture and health benefits. The crunchy pieces, chrysanthemum petals, and finely shredded lemon leaves all contribute to a great tasty snake soup of optimal thickness. And even at today’s hot weather it does not feel out of place or heavy. 

The liver sausages remain my favourite pick though, with the sausage skin crunchy on texture, while the fillings have the rich delicious taste of the liver while not feeling greasy. The touch of Chinese rose wine is apparent, bringing great fragrance. While this is not the healthiest food, it is a true indulgence to enjoy them to reward yourself, particularly if you are not in great mood.

Service is good, with the staff helpful and friendly, not trying to rush you or putting pressure to finish and return the table. The bill on the night is $272. Considering the overall dining experience and food quality, I would rate this restaurant a Good 68 points, worth trying. To me, it is also a return of good memories…

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Rising Sun Restaurant 朝日館

This Cantonese restaurant is located at Shiu Wo Street in Tsuen Wan, offering traditional dim sum and other delicacies in a friendly, no-frill style. As I am taking a day off to get some rest from my highly stressful works, we come here to have lunch on this Friday afternoon.

Walking up the steps to the first floor, the setting is familiar, with tables set very closely to each other to maximize seating. It is quite packed, and we need to share table with another old couple. Fortunately, the table is large enough.

We order the special set ($200) which allows us to choose four dim sums from the list. The dim sums include Pan-Fried Dace Fish Cake with Chives, Chiu Chow Dumplings, Steamed Shrimp and Vegetable Dumplings, and Steamed Fish Maw with Chicken.

The dim sums are decent in taste, and one good thing is that all of them are light in seasoning, meaning healthier. While that may mean bland in taste for many, we do like this style better than having the food flavours masked by excessive seasoning.

Also included in the set is Poached Vegetables and Chinese Yam in Supreme Broth features choi sum today, tender and not fibrous. The Chinese yam and Snow Fungus offer different texture and are also healthy, with some fried garlic adding flavours to the dish. 

Together with Stir-Fried Noodles with Pork Fillet, the portion of the set is certainly a lot for two people. Thankfully the noodle is good, quite dry and not oily, testimony to the skills of the chef. Instead of the typical beef fillet, it is using pork instead.

Apart from ordering on the order form, the waitress also brings some dishes to the tables to sell to diners, and we order an extra Sweet Mung Bean Soup ($10) as a result. Not too sweet, it has a decent taste and considering the price it is very good value. 

Service is decent, apparently the staff is more forthcoming for the regulars, we do not feel any dissatisfaction. The bill on the day is $253. Considering the overall dining experience and food quality, I would rate it a Good 65 points. Worth trying.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Prawn and Mozzarella Tomato Spaghetti 鮮蝦莫札瑞拉番茄義大利麵

Ingredients (for 2):

• Spaghetti - 160g
• Prawn - 6
• Mozzarella - 1/2 piece
• Basil - a few leaves
• Black pepper finely - dashes
• White dashi - 2 tbsp
• Olive oil - 3 tbsp
• Water from pasta - 75ml
• Tomato puree - 300g

Procedures:

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

2. Remove the spaghetti onto the frying pan.

3. Keep 75ml of the water from pot and pour into the pan.

4. Add in white dashi, olive oil, tomato puree, mozzarella, and prawns into the frying pan. 

5. Cook at medium heat until the sauce boils, then lower the heat and continue to cook until the sauce thickens. 

6. Serve with basil and black pepper finely on top.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Miso Mackerel 味噌鯖魚

Ingredients (for 2):

• Mackerel - 1
• Green beans - 10
• Water - 1 cup
• Miso - 2 tbsp
• Honey - 2 tbsp
• Mirin - 2 tbsp
• Cooking wine - 2 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 1/2 tbsp
• Ginger - 2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Peel the head of the green beans off. Then cut into halves.

2. Cut the mackerel in half, and then make 2-3 cuts on the skin.

3. Grind the ginger into mashes.

4. Blanch the mackerel in boiling water for a brief while, remove and drip dry.

5. Mix water, miso, honey, mirin, cooking wine, soy sauce and mashed ginger together. Put into the pan and bring to boiling.

6. Add the mackerel in, skin up, and put the green beans on the side. Bring to boiling again and cover with lid to cook for 7 minutes.

7. Take off the lid and use spoon to scoop the sauce repeatedly on the mackerel.

8. Serve.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Mara

This small eatery is located at Wing Lok Street in Sheung Wan, offering Mediterranean cuisine. The street is relatively quiet in the evening, as many people are preparing to travel abroad for the upcoming long weekend. The garbage bags and foam boxes on the side of the entrance is not pleasant and should be removed.

Going up the steps to the restaurant, it is a small space, with several tables and a bar on one side. With dim ambience, and plenty of brown colour theme. We order some mocktails to start, quenching our thirst from the humidity and heat which is already getting bad when the month has not yet turned to May.

For starter we have Shrimp Toast ($128), which are very tasty, with the two toasts deep-fried to golden brown, with nice crispness and not oily. Inside is the shrimp patty that has a wonderful bouncy texture, seasoned with sesame seeds and kimchi mayo. On the side are pickles to freshen the palate. Not to be missed.

The other starter we have is Jerk Chicken Bite Skewer ($118). The chicken thigh meat is grilled, with a nice char, served with a grape salsa giving a good combination of sweet and sourness, on Aji dressing, a type of Peruvian green sauce with a bit of spiciness. Together with pickled onion and sesame seeds, another nice starter.

For the main course we have Steak in Beef Broth ($228). The ribeye is roasted to medium level per our request, still pink inside and tender. With the broth further infusing an extra layer of flavours to the steak. On the side are fries, freshly deep-fried and still steaming hot, and goes well with the kimchi mayo. 

The other main dish is Scallop Risotto ($188), with the risotto cooked in a spinach sauce, healthy and delicious, with the pan-seared scallops and some roasted cherry tomato on top. It might not be that pleasing in appearance, but the taste is surprisingly good, and we enjoy it very much. 

For dessert, my wife has picked Invisible Apple Cake with Ice Cream ($118), with apple puree at the bottom and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on top. Scattered with plenty of almond on the side, there is also a crisp tuile to give a crunchy texture. It is not too sweet and a good finale for the evening.

For me, I have Cocoa-Banana Bread Tiramisu ($118). The banana bread has a good fragrance, serving as the base, with the mascarpone cream on top, served with a hazelnut anglaise, a type of rich custard sauce, plus a chocolate sheet on top. An interesting combination of the different flavours, this one is sweeter comparatively. 

Service is decent; while not exactly having a lot of good interactions with the staff, we are happy with their attention. The bill on the night is $1,267 and considering the overall dining experience and food quality, I would rate this restaurant a Good 70 points, worth trying. 

Wineshark Home Cooking - Drunken Pigeon 醉鴿

Ingredients (for 4):

• Pigeon - 2
• Sesame oil - 1 tsp
• Rose wine - 2 tsp
• Water - 4 cup
• Shallot - 1
• Ginger - 4 slices
• Sichuan pepper - 1 tbsp
• Black cardamon - 1
• Shaoxing wine - 1.5 cup
• Yellow sugar - 1 tbsp
• Salt - 2 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Clean up the inside of the pigeon, then cut away the legs from the knee, the tip of the wings, and the beak.

2. Put the Sichuan peppers and black cardamon into a teabag.

3. Cut the ginger and shallot into slices.

4. Heat the pot with water to boiling, then add in the teabag with the herbs, together with shallot and ginger, for 10 minutes with lid on. Turn up the heat and then put the pigeon in, chest down, and cook until the sauce boils again. Turn to low heat and cover with lid and cook for another 10 minutes.

5. Turn the pigeon over, then cover with lid and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. 

6. Then turn off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.

7. Remove the pigeon and flush in cold cooked water. Then put the pigeon back into the pot to simmer for another 10 minutes. Flush in cold cooked water again.

8. Sieve through to get the soup.

9. Put the soup back in the pot, add in salt, sugar and Shaoxing wine to boiling. 

10. Put the pigeon in, turn off the heat and cover with lid to soak the pigeon overnight. Put in fridge after the soup cools down.

11. Mix rose wine with 1/4 cup of the soup as the sauce.

12. Brush the skin of the pigeon with sesame oil, then cut into quarters. 

13. Pour in the sauce and serve.