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.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Jean-Pierre

This French bistro is located at Bridges Street in Sheung Wan, and has been a popular diner, requiring booking quite early in advance to secure the table. The burgundy red canopy, and the glass and wooden door frames with the gold letterings on the glass reminded me of some Paris bistro we visited many years ago. 

The dining room is snot big, with tables on the perimeter while there is a small, raised platform with a table. Seated at a table beside the platform, there is a nice vibe, full of fun and excitement, with classic dim lighting and some energetic music in the background to accompany us to enjoy the evening. 

I order a bottle of Domaine des Roches Neuves Clos Romans ($1,888). In the Saumur region at the heart of Loire, this biodynamic Chenin Blanc has a straw yellow colour, showing a more crisp and fresher note than many of the same varietals in the region, with citrus fruit and floral, nice minerality.

The Amuse Bouche includes some salami, beignet, and assorted fresh vegetable sticks. 

For starter we have Escargots de Bourgogne ($168). The Burgundy escargots are served in a cast iron tray, without shell, together with garlic-parsley butter & Pernod. The escargots have a nice bite but not too tough, while the butter sauce is rich in taste, and I use the bread to soak it up to enjoy.

Another starter is Moules Mariniere ($258), with the Normandie Buchot mussels steamed together with Chardonnay, onion and herbs. The mussels are tender and sweet in taste, and the sauce has wonderful umami and again, a good way to savour it is to soak with sourdough bread.

For the main course we have Sole Meuniere ($688). The Brittany Dover Sole is beautifully pan-seared, and served with beurre noisette, a classic French sauce of cooking unsalted butter until the water evaporates, with nice nutty flavours. The fish is tender and flavourful. We also have Pierre Koffmann Frites ($108) on the side. 

The dessert we share is Millefeuille ($188). The signature dessert has layers of puff pastry sandwiched with vanilla crème and raspberry coulis, with seasonal raspberry on top. The wonderful combination of crunchy texture from the puff pastry and the soft sweet crème is a satisfying and fulfilling finale for the meal. 

Despite the restaurant is very busy, the server are all cheerful and smiling, offering nice service to all the diners. The bill on the night is $4,086 and considering the overall dining experience and food quality, I have rated this restaurant an Excellent 75 points, worth returning.  

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Twins Liangpi Limited 兩姊妹涼皮有限公司

This Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant is located at Hak Po Street, Mong Kok. Founded by Emma and Jim in 2019, they started as a small street-foot stall in Prince Edward, offering Chongqing cold glass noodles, rapidly becoming popular and has moved to this current shop to accommodate more customers.

Arriving in the early lunch hours on this public holiday, fortunately we only need to wait a short while before getting our seats. It is a small space with simple décor, with all diners sitting on the side facing the wall. Though quite packed, the space is clean, with the overall ambience neat and young.

My wife orders the Twins Signature Cold Steamed Noodles ($34) with BB spiciness, adding wood-ear ($7) and Shredded Chicken ($11). With plenty of coriander and crips soybean kernels, the cold noodles have wonderful q texture while also stimulating because of its spiciness. 

To go with the cold noodles there is the side dish Sliced Pork with Garlic Sauce ($32). The seasoning is good, with sufficient spiciness to excite the palate while not excessive to make it inedible for most people. The pork is flavourful, marinated well, and the sprinkle of sesame is a smart way to elevate the fragrance and enjoyment.

I also have the Twins Signature Cold Steamed Noodles ($34), but opting for small spiciness, a degree higher than what my wife got. My choice of additional items include Okra ($11), Dried Egg ($11), and Turkey Gizzard ($17). The glass noodles are so delicious with spicy sauce. 

The side dish for me is Numbing and Spicy Shredded Chicken with Cucumber and Wood-Ear ($33), also very good and tasty. The bill on the day was $214. While there is not much interaction with the staff with the QR code ordering, the whole experience is not bad. All in all, I would rate this shop a Good 68 points. Worth trying.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Ultimate Stewed Meat with Potatoes 終極馬鈴薯燉肉

Ingredients (for 2):

• Pork slices - 250g
• Potato - 2
• Carrot - 1
• Onion - 1
• Shirataki noodles - 1 pack
• Ginger - 15g
• Sesame oil - 1.5 tbsp
• Pepper salt - dashes
• Sugar - 2 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 4 tbsp
• White dashi - 2 tbsp
• Cooking wine - 6 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Sprinkle pepper salt on the pork slices.

2. Peel the skin off the potatoes and cut into bite-size pieces.

3. Peel the skin off the carrot and cut into bite-size pieces.

4. Cut the onion into big pieces.

5. Cut the ginger into shreds.

6. Mix sugar with soy sauce, white dashi and cooking wine.

7. Pour sesame oil into the pot and put to medium heat, then add in pork slices to stir-fry briefly.

8. Add in the vegetables and shirataki noodles, stir-fry briefly.

9. Add in the shredded ginger and the sauce. Cover with lid and cook for 25 minutes. Stir well during the cooking process.

10. Mix well and serve.

Wineshark Home Cooking - White Baits and Zucchini Japanese Style Spaghetti 魩仔魚與櫛瓜和風義大利麵

Ingredients (for 2):

• Spaghetti - 160g
• White baits - 30g
• Zucchini - 1
• Black pepper finely - dashes
• White dashi - 1 tbsp
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Soba sauce - 1 tbsp
• Butter - 15g
• Water from cooking pasta - 150ml

Procedures:

1. Cut the zucchini into semi-circle pieces.

2. Cook the spaghetti in boiling water for 2 minutes less than the suggested time on the packaging.

3. Remove the spaghetti to a frying pan.

4. Add in zucchini, white baits, white dashi, olive oil, soba sauce, butter and the water from cooking pasta. Turn to medium heat and cook until the sauce boils.

5. Continue to cook at medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is absorbed mostly.

6. Serve with some black pepper sprinkled on top.