Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Lola Maria

This Spanish restaurant is on Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, offering a combination of traditional Spanish cuisine that the chef grew up with, reimagine them with modern creativity and flair, featuring high quality ingredients.

Coming through the red brick entrance, the eatery is quite large, with high ceiling and warm lighting. Arriving in the early evening hours of this Wednesday, it is already packed with many people enjoying drinks and tapas.

We also order a few tapas to start. The Potato Tortilla ($75) is a signature Spanish dish, made from eggs and potatoes. While there are other options with toppings like chorizo or Iberico ham, I believe the original version can best showcase the flavours.

Next is Air Baguette with Brown Anchovy and Lemon Butter ($25 each). On the crunchy baguette there are tails of brown anchovy placed, providing savoury notes on top of the lemon butter for acidity and richness. Delicious.

The third tapas is 30g Iberico Paleta Ham ($138). The ham are from the famous producer la Prudencia, using black pigs that are acorn-fed. With rich fragrance and an amazing savoury delicacy, it is also not too salty.

Then comes Black Seafood Rice Del Senyoret ($245). The traditional Valencian paella has squid, mussels, and shrimp pieces, with the rice cooked in squid ink to give the black colour and unique taste. With a bit of aioli to season, it is very delicious.

Another dish we have is Galician Octopus ($175). Served over grilled potatoes, the octopus are cut into thin slices, sprinkled with plenty of paprika, with mild and smoky flavours. The octopus are quite tender and not rubber in texture.

The Butter Lettuce Salad ($75) is supposed to come earlier but only arrive after we have finished almost everything. Apart from the lettuce, there are some goat cheese, dried tomatoes, sunflower seeds and tomato jam mixed.

An extra dish we have after the initial order is Spanish Red King Prawn Carpaccio ($168). The prawn meat is hammered to paper-thin, of nice sweetness, scattered with some pine nuts, spring onion, and dill oil.

For dessert my wife has Fresh Strawberries, Strawberry Sorbet, Whipped Mascarpone, Lime ($75). The refreshing sorbet with the fresh strawberries, combining with the sweet mascarpone, give a good balance on sweetness and acidity.  

I take Lemon Sorbet with Cava ($55) instead. Another refreshing one with alcohol, the Spanish sparkling wine is poured on the lemon sorbet, giving a nice fizz while reducing the sweetness level at the same time.

Service is decent, with the staff lacking a bit of attention in missing the salad ordered and not until I chased them for it. The bill on the night is $1,244. Considering the overall experience and food quality, I rate this eatery a Good 70 points, worth trying.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Prawn and Avocado Cream Spaghetti 鮮蝦與酪梨奶油義大利麵

Ingredients (for 2):

• Spaghetti - 160g
• Prawn - 10 
• Avocado - 1
• Parsley - dashes
• White dashi - 3 tbsp
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Milk - 150ml

Procedures:

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

2. Remove the spaghetti to the frying pan.

3. Add in white dashi, olive oil, milk, prawn and cook at medium-low heat until boiling.

4. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes to ensure everything is cooked through. 

5. Add in the chopped avocado and mix well.

6. Serve with parsley sprinkled on top.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Sushi Zinc

Because of my travel, I unfortunately cannot attend the second anniversary of Sushi Zinc, in which Chef Zinc had invited his mentor Paolo Monti for a few nights of four-hands collaboration, combining Japanese and Italian cuisine. Returning home, I immediately went to his restaurant in Shau Kei Wan to ask what I had missed.

As typical, I start with a serving of sake, taking the seasonal limited 夏酒 from Abe Brewery 阿部酒造 ($300). This summer’s sake has a clean and refreshing taste, very suitable for enjoying during the summer season.

The first course of the Omakase Menu ($2,400 each) features local Tomatoes, with the chopped pieces sitting on top of a refreshing jelly made from fermented tomatoes, with garlic flower on top to give a bit of fragrance.

The second course is Murasaki-Uni. From Yura at Awaji, this famous purple sea urchin has rich and intense flavours, with a unique longan and mango taste. Chef Zinc just uses some snowflake salt to season for the best effects.

The third course features Madai from Ehime. To pair with the sashimi of the Japanese red seabream, Chef Zinc uses the fish bones to prepare a broth, then with its shirako to make a creamy white sauce. On the side are the grilled salted fish roes, grounded as seasoning.

The fourth course is Hamaguri Tart. After cooking the large clams for a day to soften them, he cut them into small pieces, mixed with mascarpone cheese and then added with some prized sansho flowers, finishing with a pinch of sansho peppers to season.

The second sake I have is Rihaku Brewery 李白酒造 from Shimane. The bottle 特別純米 樽酒 ($300) has been aged in Sugi barrel, with a fragrant fir aroma and mellow texture, a very special sake that you must try it out if happen to come across.

The fifth course is Hotaru-Ika Tempura. The firefly squid is almost towards the end of the season, very large, with Chef Zinc stuffing it with the famous local shrimp paste from Tai O for extra umami and savoury flavours.

Proceeding to sushi, the first piece is from an 8-catty Takanohadai, or spottedtail morwong, caught in Sai Kung and aged for two weeks, seasoned with a bit of green yuzu and salt to highlight its original flavours. Truly deserved to be known as one of best local fish.

The second piece is Umigikugai, or thorny oyster, again coming from Sai Kung. Even though its name has the word oyster, it is not of the family, more akin to scallop, with a nice intense umami taste and crunchy texture.

The third piece is Shiro-Ika from Fukuoka, with Chef Zinc adding a bit of Karashi Mentaiko inside the white squid for a bit of spiciness and rich umami as seasoning. To break the fiber and make it easy to eat, the surface has been meticulously cut as well.

The fourth piece is Shiro-Uni from Hokkaido. The prized white sea urchin is very large in size, super expensive as it is one of the first to be auctioned in the market, with good sweetness and creamy texture.

The third sake菊姫 山廃純米無濾過生原酒 ($300) from Kikuhime in Ishikawa. This special sake is unpasteurized, retaining freshness and having a bold and raw flavours, keeping a good acidity which is rather unique for undiluted sake.

The fifth piece is local Threadfin, caught in Sai Kung. At the end of the season, this one is the last piece we can enjoy before the coming Autumn. With a tender texture, the rich flavours of the fatty fish again showcase why this is another of the best local fish.

The sixth piece features the Kegani shown to us earlier. After taking the meat from the horsehair crab to make the sushi, Chef Zinc added Karasumi marinated in homemade plum wine, to add an extra dimension of umami and savoury flavours.

Returning to shuko, the sixth course serves Konagai Kaki ‘Karen’ from Nagasaki. Instead of having the oyster raw, Chef Zinc grills it half-cooked, retaining the jus and adding the Spring vegetable Gyoja Ninniku to make a sauce to complement.

The seventh course features Fish Maw from Threadfin, with Chef Zinc first cooking them in a broth made from the fish bones, before wrapping them inside a nori sheet and deep-frying in tempura style, and paired with the grounded salted threadfin as seasoning.

The eighth course is Kobashira, the abductor muscle of round clams, in vinaigrette dressing, with also shredded Nagaimo, where the Japanese yam has been cut into thin shreds like noodles. With a few shiso flowers, it is a refreshing transition.

The seventh is Saba Maki. The mackerel comes from Oita, and together with homemade Kanpyo, Shiso, and sesame, marinated Kombu on top, are wrapped in nori sheet to make a sushi roll. A traditional style sushi roll which is tasty and filling.

The eighth piece features local Kuruma-Ebi, or tiger prawn, half cooked to retain partially the texture when it is raw, while getting the sweetness of the cooked prawn, plus also the oil made from the prawn head to increase the flavours even further.

The ninth piece is Akami, with the lean tuna having a silky-smooth texture, very tender on the bite. Unlike the traditional style where the tuna would be marinated in shoyu for a period, this one does not retain the original taste and is also less salty.

The fourth sake is an aged sake 達磨正宗 十年古酒 ($200), 10-Year-Old from Daruma Masamune, a premium aged sake producer in Gifu. Its mellow and deep flavours are exceptional and creates a totally different experience to the normal sake.

The tenth piece is O-Toro. With Chef Zinc using a new different cut to prepare this hay-smoked fatty tuna, in a flat, thinner cut so initially it gives me the impression of a piece of cured ham, with a bit of grated garlic to season to balance the fattiness.

The Tamagoyaki is made mixing the eggs with a fish broth made from Kombu, Bonito and Maguro, with a fluffy texture and rich umami taste. On the side is the grated local radish to accompany the omelet.

To finish the meal, a Hot Soup with Yamato-Shijimi, or Japanese basket clams, is served. With also the famous and rare Poi Toi Island seaweed, which has been lightly grilled, the umami of the soup is amazingly intense.

Feeling that I did not drink enough on the night, I asked for the fifth and final sake, trying the prized 達磨正宗 二十年古酒 20-Year-Old Daruma Masamune ($360). With a bit more acidity than the last one, it is rich in black sugar fragrance and extremely smooth.

Dessert is Panna Cotta made from sushi rice from Yamagata. The rice is stir-fried and then infused into milk, providing sweetness and stickiness to replace the sugar and gelatin. Very enjoyable with some rice crisps on top to give extra layer of texture.

Service is very good as always, and the choice and quality of the ingredients remain top notch. The bill on the night is $6,303 and considering the overall dining experience and food quality, I would continue to rate this restaurant an Exceptional 85 points, must try.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Ultimate Kakuni 終極角煮

Ingredients (for 4)

• Pork belly - 600g
• Ginger - 20g
• Egg - 4
• Water - 1000ml
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Water - 200ml
• Cooking wine - 150ml
• Sugar - 5 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 3 tbsp
• White dashi - 4 tsp

Procedures:

1. Cut the pork belly into big pieces.

2. Cut the ginger into shreds.

3. Heat the water and salt to boiling, then add in the pork belly and cover with lid to cook for 1 hour under low heat.

4. Mix water, cooking wine, sugar, soy sauce and white dashi together.

5. Boil the eggs and then remove the shell.

6. Keep 200ml broth from the pork. Then drain the rest. 

7. Pour the broth back into the pot, together with the sauce, shredded ginger, eggs and pork belly. Turn to medium-low heat and cook for one hour to reduce the sauce.

8. Serve.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Tori Jukusei 鳥熟成

This yakitori restaurant is located at Macau Yat Yuen Centre in Causeway Bay, famous for ageing chicken meat to use in its skewers. Coming out from the lift, the staff leads us to our seats at the counter, with a glass screen blocking the fumes from the open kitchen, where the chef is busy preparing food and grilling them over charcoal. 

We order the Omakase menu ($580 each) which included two appetizers, mixed local and Japanese yakitori 8 kinds, dry aged premium pigeon breast and leg, local yakitori offal 2 kinds, vegetables 3 kinds, main, and seasonal dessert. I also have a bottle of 花の香酒造 産土 穂増 ($1,288) to go with the food.

The starter is Rice Paper Roll, with marinated garlic in miso to go with. While the roll has only some rocket and fennel inside and does not have much taste, the miso and the garlic helps to balance so making the whole starter nice. A thoughtful start.

The first yakitori is Three Yellow Chicken Wing aged for 12 hours, with a crispy skin and juicy meat, flavourful from the seasoning. Very nicely done.

The second is Three Yellow Chicken Thigh Meat, aged for 24 hours. The tender meat is served two ways, one in original flavours, the other with shiso and marinated daikon. 

The third is Three Yellow Chicken Thigh Soft Bones with Meat. Combining the texture of the crunchy soft bone with the juicy thigh meat to a wonderful experience.

Taking a break of yakitori, the next one is Grilled Romanesco. With some nice char, the cauliflower has a good bite with some hints of nutty taste. 

Resuming yakitori, the fourth is Three Yellow Chicken Oyster Meat. The most tender piece of the chicken, it is a prized cut as only two pieces are available per chicken.

The fifth is Three Yellow Chicken Fillet, which is the leanest of the meat, and very tender. With very minimal amount of fat, it is favoured by many ladies.  

The sixth is Three Yellow Chicken Tail. With more fattiness on this part, after grilling it is bursting with the fragrance of the chicken body fat.

Next is the Homemade Chicken Liver Pate with Rice Cracker. The rich liver pate is delicious, and together with the crispy cracker it is a nice break before more yakitori. 

The seventh is Three Yellow Chicken Leg Tendon, with the tendon having a nice chewy bite but not tough, another special part not often seen unless in specialty diners.

The eighth is Chicken Tsukune, the minced chicken skewer is also paired with the prized Japanese Ran-oh egg, very flavourful and delicious. One I want to encore. 

An interesting addition in the menu is the Aged Pigeon Breast and Leg. The pigeon has a more gamey note than the chicken, offering another delicious meat that are masterfully grilled, pink and not overdone. 

The other two vegetables skewer are Japanese Yam, with a pinch of seaweed sprinkled on top to give a touch of umami to the light flavours of the yam.

And the other is Maitake Mushroom, with the mushroom grilled nicely, keeping it moist without having the whole mushroom dried up. 

The two offal include Chicken Hearts, which are tasty and having a firm bite in texture. It has no weird taste and should not have any reason to be afraid.

The other one is Chicken Gizzard. The muscular texture offers a good chew but not tough, with deep and rich flavours, and is the best match with icy beer. 

We have an additional skewer of Three Yellow Chicken Tendon ($32 each), with the ligament offering a good bite along with the attached tender meat.

Wrapping up there is a White Chicken Broth with Fish Maw, very rich in taste and searing hot in serving temperature, very delicious and I want to have one more.

The Rice with Ran-oh Egg has the reddish egg yolk of the prized Japanese egg added in the bowl of rice, with some bonito flakes and marinated kombu to add flavours.

Dessert is a Buffalo Milk Pudding with Strawberry and Pearls. The pudding is silky soft, with a rich milk note and not too sweet. 

Service is good, with the staff coming to introduce each of the yakitori, but they are so busy so cannot spend too much time going into the details. The bill on the night is $2,840. Considering the overall dining experience and food quality, I would rate this restaurant an Excellen 75 points, worth returning.