Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Ying Kee Wonton Noodles 英記巷仔雲吞麵

The last time I visited this small noodle shop in San Po Kong was during COVID and knowing how hard the owner worked to support the business and her staff was truly emotional. Today we come to Hong Keung Street, and seeing the smiling face of the owner interacting with her regular customers is a happy scene.

The shop is small and everyone need to share tables. Fortunately, we do not need to wait for long before seated, and the décor and noodle station are all familiar. As there is only one staff handling the noodle station, with the many orders for dine-in and takeaways, it takes a bit of time before our order arrives.

I have Beef Tendon Noodles 爽滑牛孖筋撈麵 ($44). The noodles have a wonderful texture, al dente and with good bite, mixing with a bit of beef brisket sauce for flavours. The tendons are amazing, tender yet with a slight chewiness, and fully infused with the marinade in the process. The portion is also generous. A must order.

My wife has Beef Brisket Noodles with Soup 秘製牛腩湯麵 ($38). There are quite a few pieces of beef brisket, very soft and tender, rich in flavours, with the soup equally delicious and not feeling too salty or using MSG. Together with the al dente noodles it is another must order for beef brisket lovers.

We also have Poached Vegetables 油菜 ($16), with the choice of three types of vegetables we go for Water Spinach with Fermented Bean Curd. The vegetables are young, not over-cooked, and with the bean curd sauce is a nice complement to the noodles.

Even though we are quite full because of the big portion of the noodles, we decide to have another Fengcheng Dumplings 鳳城水餃 ($34) to share. Again, the portion is unbelievable, with six pieces of the large dumplings served, bursting with ingredients and great in taste. I want to buy a dozen to bring back home.

Service is fantastic, with the owner interacting with everyone, whether you are a regular or new customer. With two cans of soft drinks, the bill on the day is $152. When knowing we come from NT to visit them, she takes $2 off my bill as a token of appreciation. Considering food quality and experience, I would rate them 83 points. Worth returning.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Pork and Olive Tomato Spaghetti 豬肉與橄欖番茄義大利麵

Ingredients (for 2):

• Spaghetti - 160g
• Pork - 100g
• Black olives - 8
• Basil - 4 leaves
• Cheese powder - 2 tbsp
• White dashi - 2 tbsp
• Olive oil - 3 tbsp
• Tomato paste - 2 tbsp
• Garlic - 1 tsp
• Water from paste - 150ml

Procedures:

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

2.Remove the spaghetti to the frying pan.

3. Add in white dashi, olive oil, tomato paste, chopped garlic, water from the pasta, pork slices, and black olives cut in halves.

4. Turn on the heat to medium-low level, continue to stir well until the sauce is boiling.

5. Continue to cook until the sauce is absorbed.

6. Serve with basil and cheese powder on top.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - GYU + Bar by Miyoshi

This contemporary steakhouse is located at Lee Garden One, specializes in wood grilling, using special lava rock kiln burning at 500 degrees Celsius, fueled by lychee wood. The open kitchen allows customers to glimpse the grilling process at a distance, without worrying about the heat and fumes.

Seated at the dining area, there are counter seats and normal dining tables which we went for the former. We opted for the 6-Course Wine Pairing Dinner Menu ($788 each) but the wine pairing had to be taken for whole table, so I had to order individual wine by glass instead. Soon a Sourdough is served with Truffle Butter.

The first course, Hokkaido Shiraoi, is a bite-sized snack, with wagyu bresaola on a charcoal puff. Underneath the salted dtied beef are miso cauliflower puree with some toasted sesame. The rich fatty beef fragrance is balanced well by the puree, combining with the crispy puff seamlessly.

The second course is Kampachi, with fresh amberjack sashimi, putting on some edamame and asparagus salad, decorated with avocado emulsion, ponzu and shiso oil. The herbaceous and citrus notes on the sauce help to remove any fishy note, while the different texture excites the palate.

The third course is soup featuring Jagaimo, or Japanese potatoes. The new potato velouté is creamy and rich in flavors, having blended with some Japanese sweet onion for an extra dimension of delicacies, and seasoned with some wagyu miso, truffle oil and croutons.

For the fourth course we both have chosen Yaki Hotate, with the charcoal seared Japanese scallop, dressed by a rich buttery Café de Paris sauce, and served on top of a nice smoothy carrot puree, decorated with many bubu-arare, tiny crispy rice spheres, for its texture, serving both a visual and sensory treat.

For the fifth course we each pick a different one, with my wife going for Lobster Tail, with the grilled Maine lobster tail paired with Kabocha puree, together with some charred broccolini. Drizzled with a bit of tarragon oil, it is served with Americaine sauce. Nicely done.

I have Wagyu Ichibo, upgraded to Japanese A5 tenderloin steak ($100 supplement). Grilled to medium rare, the steak is not fatty, very tender and juicy, with nice, caramelized surface. Flavorful with minimal seasoning. On the side are crispy layered potato, firewood asparagus in French sauce bordelaise.

For dessert, my wife has Chocolate Cremeux. A combination of a smooth dark chocolate ganache on top of caramelized hazelnuts, there are also some honeycomb crunches on the side. Seasoned with some smoked sea salt, the perfect combination of salty and sweet is pleasant.

I have Pistachio Cheesecake. The slice of rich baked cheesecake is prepared in Basque-style, with rich velvety texture and not too sweet. On the side is a piece of tuile together with homemade white chocolate ice cream and some pistachio crumbles. A good choice especially for pistachio-lover.

Service is decent, and I think they can introduce more the special grill and use of lychee wood as that is obviously a selling point. Together with a couple of glasses of wine, the bill on the night was $2,094. Considering the overall food quality and dining experience, I would rate this restaurant a Good 68 points. Worth trying.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Hao Tang Hao Mian 好湯好麵

Hearing that there is a small noodle shop in Tai Wai started by a chef from renowned Caprice and has been continuously awarded Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2021, we came to Chik Chuen Street to try it out.

The noodle shop is small, having a no-frill, neighborhood style, with simple décor. With the weather very hot, I have a bottle of Homemade Cold Brew White Peach Oolong Tea 自家製冷泡白桃烏龍 ($48 per bottle), which is pleasant and refreshing.

Having Jellyfish Head Marinated with Sesame Oil and Garlic Balsamic Vinegar 意大利黑醋蒜香海蜇頭 ($66) as appetizer, the jellyfish head has a crunchy texture, switching from traditional Zhejiang vinegar to Balsamic, with well-balanced sweet and sourness.

The Marinated Chicken Wings with Soy Sauce 玫瑰豉油雞中翼 ($48 for 4 pieces) are also very good, with the chicken wings tender, having a slight fragrance of Chinese Rose Wine, with nice flavors from the tasty marinade, not overly salty or sweet.

I have Mini Buddha Jumps Over Wall with Flat Noodles in Broth 迷你佛跳牆扁陽春麵 ($156). The soup is delicious, rich in flavors and not oily, with the noodles al dente in texture. There are also plenty of ingredients too, including fish maw, sea cucumber, scallop, abalone, ham, fake shark’s fin, and chicken. A wonderful noodle overall.

My wife has Fish Maw and Chicken with Flat Noodles in Broth 棉花雞湯扁陽春麵 ($110), which are equally good. The service is decent, but I feel they can do better in explaining the dishes. The bill on the day was $449. Considering the overall experience I would rate them a Good 68 points, worth trying.

 

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Terrace Boulud

With the big renovation going on in Mandarin Oriental, a few restaurants of the hotel are having revamp. One new setup that I have been anticipating is not inside the hotel, but located at Prince’s Building, taking over the space from the former Sevva. Today we visit Terrace Boulud.

On the rooftop of the building, the restaurant has an outdoor balcony commands a great skyscraper view of the busy Central district. But too hot for us to dine outside right now, we opted to sit indoors, enjoying the comfortable seats surrounded by nice contemporary décor seeping into a classic bistro style format.

Starting with a glass of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV ($358), it is interesting to see all wines by glass are served from magnum bottles. The bread rolls were subsequently served, featuring three types of seeds, including sunflower, poppy seed and flaxseed. Healthy and hearty, good on its own without butter or olive oil.

We had two starters to share. The first was Homard & Artichaut ($368). The poached lobster was sweet in taste, went well together with some gem lettuce and artichoke, with a good drizzle of yuzu gel as well as some Thai basil to give extra layer of fragrance from the herbs. Light and appetizing.

The other starter was Poulpe & Aioli ($258). Surrounding the orange-colour puree made from chorizo and piquillos were grilled Mediterranean octopus, together with some crispy potato cubes. A classic Spanish combination, the puree was not spicy but more leaning towards a delicate sweet and smokiness. Also, very pleasant.

Each of us had a Soup de Poisson & Rouille ($198). The Provencal fish soup was rich in flavours, apparently made from plenty of seafood to extract the essences, almost reminding me of a lobster bisque in intensity. There were some saffron potatoes to give a bite, along with a piece of sourdough with rouille too.

For the main course, we picked Saint Pierre & Fenouil ($598). The poached John Dory was thick and flavourful, with vierge sauce on top, giving refreshing citrus and the finely diced tomato giving freshness to the fillet. With some braised fennel, saffron and yuzu condiment to go along, a wonderful dish for those who prefer to have fish.

The other main course was Canard & Orange ($388). The spiced duck breast was beautifully seared, while keeping pink on the flesh, juicy and tender. Paired with a nice orange sauce, there was sweet potato and endive on the side for a hearty dish. A good choice if one wanted to have red meat but not steak.

For the dessert we wife went for some lighter, picking Strawberry & Geranium ($138). I opted for Soft Serve Double Flavour ($138) instead, with the soft ice-cream included a combination of Pistachio and Raspberry flavours, together with some condiments to add if desired.

Service was very good, with the staff friendly and eager to help, introducing the menu in detail to us at the beginning. Along with a glass of Yves Cuilleron Condrieu La Petite Cote 2023 ($248), the bill on the night was $3,287. Considering the overall experience, I would rate this restaurant a Good 70 points, worth trying.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐 (TST)

On Saturday, while puzzling where I should go for lunch, I thought of having xiao long bao. Since I have not been to Din Tai Fung for a long while, we decided to go to their TST outlet on Canton Road to see whether they can maintain quality over the years.

The restaurant is huge and spacious, and given the late lunch hours one section was not open. Seated at the main dining area, it has a no-frill, casual dining ambience matching well with their food, solid and not fancy.

To start, we have Green Bean Fettuccine and Sliced Pork with Garlic Sauce 蒜香粉皮肉 ($68). The sliced pork, with the slightly spicy garlic sauce, is great in flavours, and mixing with the fettuccine adds an extra layer of texture to the enjoyment.

The Crispy Shrimp Pancake 香酥蝦餅 ($80) is another good dish, with the pancake pan-fried to crispness on the surface, while having the bouncy texture of the shrimp in contrast. Good in flavours, it is just a touch oily which can be improved.

The signature Steamed Pork Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) 小籠包 ($70) has a total of six. The skin is not too thick, with the soup retaining inside, bursting forth on the bite with great satisfaction. The flavours are nice and is even better than my prior visits.

My wife has Taiwan Style Noodle Tossed with Spring Onion and Soy Sauce 台式香蔥拌麵 ($60) while I go for Double-boiled Chicken Soup Served with Noodle 清燉雞湯麵 ($92). The clear soup is rich in taste, not oily, with the noodle al dente in texture. The noodles also perform better than my last visits.

For dessert, we have Steamed Mini Sesame Paste Buns 迷你芝麻包 ($42). There are three mini buns which sesame fillings, not too sweet, and lacking a bit of the fragrance I would expect from the sesame. I will probably skip this one in future.

Service is good, with the staff attentive despite they are busy serving the many tables. Together with two soy milks, the bill on the day was $530. Considering the overall dining experience and food quality, I would rate this restaurant a Good 68 points, worth trying.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Pacific Cod with Soy Bean Crisp 豆酥銀鱈魚

Ingredients (for 4):

• Cod - 400g
• Bean crisps - 1/2 cup
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Shallot - 2
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Tapioca starch - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - dashes
• Oil - 1.5 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Chop the garlic and shallot finely.

2. Grind the bean crisps.

3. De-froze the cod and wash clean, cut into thick strips.  

4. Use kitchen paper to wipe dry the cod, then marinate with salt and tapioca starch for 5 minutes. Drizzle with 1/2 tbsp of oil afterwards.

5. Steam the cod at high heat for 8 minutes. 

6. Heat the pan with oil, then add in the shallot and stir-fry briefly.

7. Add in garlic and white pepper powder. Stir fry well.

8. Add in bean crips and mix well. 

9. Transfer the cod onto a clean plate, and scatter the bean crisps on top to serve.