Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - VOON

Having visited his restaurant in Wanchai a few years ago, and knowing he has recently re-opened in Kennedy Town, today we came to Forbes Street, to Chef Edward Voon’s new venture VOON, to once again experience his magic in integrating Asian culinary traditions and flavours with Western techniques. 

Stepping into the restaurant the first section is a retail shop offering many of Chef Voon’s artisanal delights. Moving into the dining area, it is a small space, with only a few tables, but everything is very neatly designed and put together, offering a comfortable and cozy ambience for customers. Although quite early, the restaurant was already packed.

We have opted for Voon’s Favourite Tasting Menu ($588 each). After a welcome drink, the ‘Ngo Hiong’ Chicken Wings is served. Removing the bone in the wing, some minced pork and shrimp are stuffed back inside, before grilling over charcoal, sprinkled with Chinese five spices. The skin is crispy and fragrant from the spices, with the chicken wing tender and flavourful. Excellent starter.  

The second course is Hamachi, with the raw Japanese amberjack served in an Asian cucumber bouillon dressing, to give a nice acidity to the fish. At the same time, Chef Voon has added some aged vinegar jelly to add a syrupy and complex taste. Having plenty of coriander on top, it brings another touch of Asian flavours to the dish, of perfect and harmonious match.

Next course comes with two options. My wife has chosen Basil Pork Chili Macaroni Au Gratin. The macaroni is served in an iron bowl to retain the temperature, keeping the Comte cheese melting and gooey. Taking a twist of the traditional recipe though, inside the macaroni, the stir-fried basil and pork combination is a tribute to the Thai cuisine, with the spring onion adding extra fragrance. 

I have Button Mushroom Soup instead. Using plenty of mushroom to prepare the broth, they are then blended into a creamy and thick soup, with a thin layer of milk foam on top, as well as a drizzle of olive oil. The chef has also added some braised abalone mushroom to give a bite to the soup, very good indeed.

For the pasta, we both opted for Laksa Prawn Linguine. Leveraging the flavours of his home, Chef Voon prepared a Laksa coconut sauce to cook with the homemade linguine, which has wonderful al dente texture. With a bit of spiciness, rich coconut taste, some nice bouncy prawns and the famous Ipoh bean sprouts together, no wonder this remains a signature of the restaurant since the start. 

Coming to the main course, my wife has Amadai. The tilefish is prepared using the Japanese technique of pouring hot oil on the scales, making them crispy and edible, while keeping the flesh moist and tender. The fish is served in ‘Suan Cai Yu’ style, with mustard green velouté having the sourness and spiciness to make it highly appetizing, as well as retaining the creamy and rich of the classic roux. 

For me, I have Coffee Pork Rack. Coated with a thin layer of coffee crust, the pork is beautifully seared, juicy and not over-cooked. With pineapple chutney on the side, and a rich and delicious mustard dill sauce, there are also some broccolini to accompany the meat. Both the main courses are equally good, and there are also pigeon and beef to choose from in case you fancy those more.

But the spotlight on the night must be our pre-ordered Voon Roasted Whole Three Yellow Chicken ($768). Seeing the golden-brown chicken got my mouth watering, with its skin roasted to nice crispness, while the chicken meat was tender and very juicy. Marinated well and great in taste, stuffed inside the chicken were rice, which fully absorbed the essences and was simply phenomenal. I highly recommend ordering this, even if you cannot finish, just bring home any leftovers and reheat the next day, it is still very good.

For dessert, we both had Pandan Crème Brulee, Taking the recipe of the classic dessert, Chef Voon had inserted his Singaporean root by having the extracts of the pandan leaves to the crème brulee, and added a homemade coconut ice-cream on top, before drizzling caramel on it. Sweet but not over-indulgent, it is a good finale to a wonderful meal. 

Service was good, though the staff was a bit short-handed, with the full house and having to look after the retail shop. The bill on the night was $2,138. Considering the food quality and overall dining experience, I would rate this restaurant an Excellent 80 points, certainly worth returning, and the roasted whole chicken is a must order. 

Wineshark Home Cooking - Ultimate Sauteed Prawns 終極乾燒蝦仁

Ingredients (for 2):

• Prawns - 10
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Ginger - 5g
• Leek - 1/4 
• Egg - 2
• Water - 1 tbsp
• Pepper salt - dashes
• Tapioca starch - 1.5 tbsp
• Cooking sake - 1 tbsp
• Pepper salt - dashes
• Chili bean paste - 1 tbsp
• Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
• Chinese seasoning - 1/4 tsp
• Water - 120ml
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Cooking sake - 2 tsp
• Pepper salt - dashes
• Tapioca starch - 1.5 tsp
• Water - 1 tbsp
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Vinegar - 1/2 tsp

Procedures:

1. Whisk the eggs.

2. Add 1 tbsp of water and dashes of pepper salt to the whisked egg.

3. Remove the shell and intestine of the prawns.

4. Mix the prawns with 1 tbsp of whisked egg, 1.5 tbsp of tapioca starch, 1 tbsp cooking sake and dashes of pepper salt. 

5. Finely chop the leek.

6. Finely chop the ginger.

7. Finely chop the garlic.

8. Mix chili bean paste, tomato ketchup, Chinese seasoning and 120ml of water.

9. Mix 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp cooking sake and dashes of pepper salt. 

10. Heat the pan with 1 tbsp of oil at medium-high heat, then pour in the whisked egg and quickly stir-fry.

11. Put the fried egg on the serving plate.

12. Heat the pan with 2 tsp of oil at medium heat, then add in the prawns to stir-fry until turns slightly golden. Then remove for later use.

13. Heat the pan with 2 tsp of oil at low heat, then add in the minced garlic and ginger to stir-fry until fragrant.

14. Add in the sauce mixture and bring to boiling.

15. Add the sugar mixture and also the chopped leek.

16. Add the prawns back in, and stir-fry briefly.

17. Add in the mixture of 1.5 tsp of tapioca starch and 1 tbsp of water to thicken the sauce.

18. Drizzle in 1 tsp of oil and 1/2 tsp of vinegar.

19. Pour the sauce and prawns on the fried egg to serve.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Spiga

This Italian restaurant is located at 3/F of LHT Tower in Central, right in the most central part of HK. The restaurant is under the direction of Chef Enrico Bartolini, with an outdoor terrace with lounge setting as well. The weather is still too chilly to dine outside, and we were taken to our table, a circular booth facing the large bar counter.

The décor has a cinematic ambience, taking us back to the 1950s, with dim lighting giving a warmth, intimate and cozy feeling for diners. We decided to order the Chef’s Tasting Menu ($698 each) and ordering a bottle of Mindful Sparks ($380), a sparkling tea of white peach and earl grey, to go with the food on the night. 

The first course is Battuta, made tableside. Using Fassona beef from the Piedmont region, the minced beef tartare is seasoned simply with salt, black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil, chives, mustard, and black truffle. With some egg yolk sauce on the side for condiment, there were plenty of shaved black truffle on top to further add to the fragrance. Taste was good, but I think the black truffle had dominated the flavours excessively.  

The second course had two options. I went for Scampo, where the langoustine had a sweet taste, freshly flown in from Italy. On top was a piece of lard that had been deep-fried to give savoury taste, while the sauce was grass pea velouté, with some rosemary to enhance the herbal characters. Decent in taste, but the taste of the sauce was not particularly matched with the scampi. 

My wife had Tonno ($88 extra). The blue fin tuna was cut into a cube shape before searing to lightly cooked it, with some caviar placed on top to add a touch of savoury to the umami of the tuna. Served in a gazpacho sauce, with the tomato and celery taste bringing a freshness and the acidity to match with the tuna. Comparing the two starters, I would prefer this tuna more than the langoustine. 

Next was the pasta Genovese. The ‘Gragnano’ candele pasta has a short candlestick appearance, with a nice al dente texture. Cooked with Neapolitan style ragu, with the minced pork and beef slow cooked to delicious and rich in flavours, the pasta also got some shaved Parmesan cheese, plus basil and crispy leaves on top. Good in taste, and frankly this was my favourite dish in the evening.

For the main, we also ordered one of each. I had picked Agnello, featuring slow cooked Torino lamb neck that was very tender and juicy, and placed on top a potato terrine which has absorbed the jus from the lamb, having nice flavours. On the side was artichokes puree, with the earthy tone matching well with the lamb neck. The quality of the main dish was better than the starters in my opinion.

The other main course was Spigola ($88 extra), featuring seared Mediterranean sea bass together with mantis shrimp, and served in Cacciucco reduction, which is a fish stew originating from Tuscany, with intense seafood flavours. The caponata on the side, some chopped eggplant and tomato, gave a nice sweet and sour taste to match with the fish. Among the two main courses, I would rate this one higher.

For dessert, Ciocco-colato was a warm chocolate mousse with hazelnut ice-cream in the middle. Indulgent but not excessively sweet, the creamy mousse was a good treat, rich in chocolate flavours, and was complementary in taste with the hazelnut in the ice-cream. A happy and complete finish to the meal. 

Service was decent, with the staff attentive and pleasant. Generally, the food quality was good, though some fine tuning was needed for the starters. The bill on the night was $2,223. Considering the overall experience, I would rate this restaurant a Decent 63 points, can visit but nothing to lose if not.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Yuan 圓

To celebrate my wife’s birthday, we returned to Yuan, located at Chinachem Hollywood Centre in Central, as she wanted to have vegetarian cuisine, and we had a great time during the last visit three years ago. Helmed under Chef Ronald Shao from Lubuds Group, we came sharp at our booking time to the restaurant just opposite Tai Kwun.

After seated comfortably at a table on the window side, I took a quick look around, and there was no change in the décor, with the open kitchen on one side, featuring mainly light colours, with a calm and Zen atmosphere in harmony with modern Chinese vegetarian cuisine. We decided to go for the 12-Course Winter Tasting Menu ($1,288 each).

I also ordered a bottle of Josmeyer Pinot Blanc Mise du Printemps 2023 ($488). This biodynamic Alsace white wine, although quite simple, exhibited vibrant fruit and nice minerality, with white flowers, green apples, citrus and hints of peaches. The crisp acidity and saline palate could match with most of the food. 

Welcome Drink is 八寶茶. This traditional herbal tea is a specialty for winter, good for throat and enhance appetite. Made from dried longan, hawthorn, chrysanthemum, osmanthus, red date, goji, licorice, and fritillaria cirrhosa, it was mildly sweet and warm, with a touch of acidity. Delicious and healthy, getting us ready to begin our meal.  

There were two Amuse Bouche, with the first being 麻婆 脆盞. Using Indian potato to make panipuri, a common India street food, to hold dried bean curd, tofu skin, and chopped shimeji mushroom stir-fried with mapo sauce, plus quinoa on top. The crunchy basket holding an assorted mix of ingredients, with the slight spiciness, was appetizing.

The second Amuse Bouche was 欖菜 螺絲卷. Using Chiu Chow olive vegetables to make a mousse, the chef has added some deep-fried, finely chopped, olive vegetables on top, for additional texture and flavours. Two Chinese buns, in the form of screws, were served to enjoy with the dip, one steamed and one deep-fried.

Next came the Appetizers. On the left was 椒香 蘿蔔, featuring daikon with snow gum on top. The Hunan green chili and Sichuan peppercorn gave a hint of spiciness and good fragrance. On the right was 甘樹子 棕櫚心. The heart of palm was tender, while the celtuce was crunchy, with the Sebesten plum cordia adding a bit of sweetness to season.

First entrée was 香草 茄子 無花果. Cutting the fresh tomatoes of different colours into slices, together with toasted Shanghai eggplant and pieces of sweet fig, the salad was dressed with smoked olive oil infused with dill to highlight the original flavours of the vegetables, further decorated by some edible flowers. 

Second entrée was 黑松露 翡翠豆腐. On the shaved black truffle were some white powders, which were in fact also black truffles, but prepared using molecular gastronomy processing. Underneath was fava bean and spinach puree, together with some sweet green pea, with pickled mustard green. Fragrant and rich in flavours.

Soup was 西洋菜 桃膠. Using watercress and apricot almonds to blend, the chef made the rich and thick soup, with a vibrant green colour that was appetizing. In the middle were some peach resins to give an additional texture on the bite. On the side was the watercress and sago cracker, to dip in the soup to enjoy together. 

Coming to Main, the first one was 益母草 白蘆筍 芹菜根. Using maitake mushroom to prepare a broth, with some motherwort herb added, not only for a nice green hue, but also good medicinal properties, to pair with the two roasted root vegetables of white asparagus and celeriac. A very good match and delicious.

The second main course was 紅燒 野菌 瓜方. Made to resemble the traditional braised pork belly, with layers of winter melon and Shanghai rice cake, wrapped in reed. On the side were some sweet peas, with assorted mushrooms and a rich sauce made from red bell pepper. Both the taste and texture had a hint of meat. Very good too.

For a transition, the Palate Cleanser was 話梅 蕃茄凍. The juice of the organic cherry tomatoes was made to jelly, with the top coated with some sweet and sour plum shavings. Together with some edible flowers to decorate, this was a light and delicate treat to clean the palate and get us ready for the next main course.

Presenting in nice colour and shapes, the third main course was 苗族酸湯 空氣春卷. The spring roll had a thin crisp, airy on texture, with morel as fillings. Paired with Guizhou red sour soup for its unique flavours, a bit like Thai tom yam. With mashed sweet potato at bottom, there were also some vegetables on the side as well. 

We picked one each of the Staple Food to try. The first was 板栗 松茸 砵仔飯. The Hakka steamed rice was served in a small clay bowl, with pieces of chestnut and matsutake mushroom giving nice fragrance. On the side were different condiments like pinenuts, pickled turnip, and chili sauces to mix depending on individual preference. 

The other one was 有機三色蕃茄焗素扒飯. The Baked Vegan Pork Chop Rice ($138 extra) was similar in appearance but using vegan meat instead, with organic cherry tomato to make the thick sauce and cheese on top. Having a fried egg on top, this one was great in both appearance and taste. The concept came from Chef Shao’s famous signature at Mian. 

For Dessert the first one was 黑芝麻, featuring homemade black sesame ice-cream, with a tang yuan in the middle, filled with black sesame sweet soup. The presentation was also thoughtful, serving in a can. Whether you are a black sesame lover or not, this one would certainly win you over.

The other one was 陳皮 雪梨, a warm dessert to wrap up the meal. The sweet soup was appropriate in sweetness level, made together with dried tangerine peel to give a nice fragrance. Together with pear and dried fig, the traditional dessert helped to give comfort to the stomach, and smoothed out the throat from the chillness in weather.

Service was very good, with the staff friendly and explaining each course in detail, allowing us to enjoy not just the taste and appearance, but together with the knowledge of the food. The bill on the night is $3,760. Considering overall food quality and dining experience, I would rate this restaurant an Excellent 83 points. Worth returning.