Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Carmela

It was almost 6.5 years ago that I visited Francis in Wanchai, having a good impression on its cuisine, so hearing that they now have a sister restaurant recently opened in Sheung Wan, today on the second day of the Chinese New Year holiday, we come to Nan Fung Tower, to try out its South Mediterranean cuisine. 

Instead of the door opening out to Wing Wo Street, the access is through the lobby of Nan Fung Tower. Inside the space is nearly decorated, having warm lighting, different types of earthen jars and urns on display on the wall, creating a subtle touch of the region for customers. With most people out seeing fireworks, it is relatively quiet.

We start with Hummus with Green Zhug ($70). The creamy spread has a nice nutty taste, having chickpeas and rich garlic flavours integrating well with lemon acidity. The vibrant green zhug sauce has a hint of spiciness and finishes with some chopped mint to add to the enjoyment of the hummus.  

To go with the hummus, we also order Garlic and Sage Fougasse ($50). The traditional flatbread is made leaf-shaped, with a rich olive oil dough, flavoured with garlic and sage. The taste is good, but I think it is a bit too greasy for me. Perhaps having some pita bread to pair with the hummus would be a better choice?

Next comes House Smoked Sardines ($178). The sardines are very fresh and have shiny silvery skin, smoked briefly to infuse the flesh with nice aromas. Serving on the plate, the sardines were drizzled with a generous amount of olive oil and scattered with an abundance of chives. Very delicious and not fishy. 

Then we have Linguine with Seared Tuna ($198). The pasta is prepared with tomato and chili paste, with a nice balance of acidity, sweetness, and spiciness. The texture of the linguine is al dente, and the tuna are seared slightly on the surface, leaving the flesh still raw, and cut into cubes to mix with the pasta. Another nice dish.

For the main course we pick Pork Chop Schnitzel ($240). The pork chop has been hammered thin before coating with breadcrumbs and deep-fried. There are lemon wedges so we can add a bit of lemon juice to reduce the heaviness. On the sides are some pickled cucumber and Caesar cabbage as well.

For the side dish, we have House Salad ($128). The portion is big, with a mix of lettuce, tomato, avocado, cucumber, feta, and olives. Good for sharing for 2-3 people, the different textures of the vegetables, the balance of acidity of the tomatoes and saltiness from the feta, and the combination of flavours highlight both healthy and delicious.

Since we are quite full, for dessert we go for something light. Opting for Gelato & Sorbet ($35 each), I have a Raspberry Sorbet while my wife go for Vanilla Gelato. The sorbet is a bit too icy for me but having nice sourness of the raspberry is refreshing and reduces the heaviness in the stomach for the meal. 

Service is good, with the staff attentive, pleasant, and eager to help. They can do a bit more explanation on the food, however. The bill on the night was $1,445 with two glasses of wine which is quite reasonable. Considering the overall dining experience, food quality, and service, I would rate this restaurant a Good 73 points. It is worth trying.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Golden Blossom 金枝玉葉

This Chinese restaurant is under the Gaia Group, offering cuisines from different regions in China so customers can enjoy signature dishes like char siu and Peking duck at the same time. Located at K11 MUSEA, I booked a table for dinner on the eve of CNY, coming sharp at 6pm for the first seating, where the restaurant is already packed.

With mostly large tables close to each other because of the occasion, the environment is noisy and a bit chaotic. However, we can see still the nice décor and designs, and probably coming in a normal day the whole dining ambience would be much cozier and more relaxing. There are also several VIP rooms for those of bigger groups. 

We start with Cherry Tomatoes with Plum Juice 冰沙酸梅聖女果 ($88). Beautifully presented, serving on a glass bowl with ice underneath are cherry tomatoes that have been marinated in plum juice, infusing the tomatoes with a nice sweetness from the plum to balance with its own acidity. A highly appetizing and refreshing starter.

Next comes Stir-fried Giant Grouper with Huadiao Wine, Ginger and Scallion 薑蔥花雕煀龍躉球 ($368). In the sizzling hot clay pot are the meaty giant grouper fillets, rich in fragrance from plenty of stir-fried ginger and scallion, as well as the Chinese yellow wine that are poured on top. Nicely done and no wonder also a chef’s recommendation. 

Then goes Braised Sea Cucumber with Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐燒海參 ($268). The few pieces of sea cucumber in the middle on this upgrade of the traditional Sichuan delicacy looked pathetic, but the taste is good, with nice numb spiciness. While I sweated profusely throughout, I enjoyed the dish a lot. Recommended for those who love spicy.

The last dish is Signature Braised Chicken with Abalone 鮮鮑魚神仙雞 ($368 Half). Prepared on tableside, the chicken is served in a sizzling hot clay pot, essentially a soy sauce chicken together with abalone and pig knuckles. The taste is good, the pig knuckles are also very tender, with the half chicken sufficient for 3-4 people. 

For dessert, we both order Glutinous Rice Balls in Sweet Ginger Soup 薑汁湯圓($88 each). With two ‘tong yuen’ of black sesame fillings, the sweet soup has an intense ginger note which is spicy but good for stomach. A nice finish to a good meal to close the Year of Snake. 

Service is decent, as the staff are too busy to handle the full house, with everything happening at same time. I am quite impressed by how they can keep quality and efficiency despite the heavy workload though. The bill on the night is $1,459. Considering the overall dining experience, I would rate this restaurant a Good 73 points, worth trying.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Sushi Zinc

After returning from a family trip to Bangkok and a short business trip to Korea, we came to visit Chef Zinc for his special event, a dinner featuring local produce. While typically we got to enjoy different local seafood in prior visits, today every course does have its local element to feature. The price of the menu remains the same at $2,400 each.

To start is a Clear Soup, featuring extracts of Tomato grown in local farm, together with Asia Moon Scallop 日月貝. The soup has a nice acidity on top of the umami flavours, plus additional fragrance from Thai Basil Flowers. A crisp is made from the residue of the tomato, allowing us to enjoy on its own, or dip into the warm soup. Delicious.

The first sake I have is The Sazanami from Abe Shuzo in Niigata ($250). The sake is quite light in body, having a refreshing vibrancy with its acidity and slight fizziness. An easy to drink sake, suitable to start dinner with.

Tonight, we also have Davey Wong, the buyer who are the source for all these great local produces, introducing them throughout the dinner. The next one features an 8-catty Madai 赤鱲, paired with a sauce using its bones and milt from local sea bream. Scattered on the side are ground dried sea bream roes as seasoning, a true wonder with fantastic taste.

Next one features a gigantic 20-catty Ma Yau 馬友, caught in Sai Kung, with Chef Zinc using the traditional method of smoking over hay to infuse the meat with a nice fragrance while not ‘cooking’ the flesh. With different thickness of cut to compare texture, the ground fermented salted fish is sprinkled as condiment, as well as homemade pickled plum paste that had been aged for one year, exhibiting nice mellow flavours.

Then comes Chawanmushi. The shells of the Red Swimming Crab 紅花蟹 are toasted and prepared into broth, mixing with the stir-fried crab roes and tomalley, before blending with egg yolk and steam to form an intensely flavoured egg custard. With the delicate sweet crab meat and fresh dill on top, another amazing dish.

Coming next is the Grilled Green Rock Lobster 青龍蝦. Cutting in half, the lobster was marinated in miso, before grilling on its shell, to impart the flesh with wonderful smoky aromas. These wild lobsters are usually smaller in size, not easy to catch, and have great texture and sweetness.

The second sake I have is Abe Yellow イエロー ($250), also from Abe Shuzo in Niigata. With a more juicy and richer umami taste than the previous one, this sake has got good acidity and is nice match with food.

The first sushi on the night comes from a 5-catty Blacktip Grouper 紅斑, having aged for three weeks, with a clean and delicate taste. Chef Zinc added just a little bit of wasabi, without any other seasoning, for us to taste its original flavours. Known as the best local fish, it has a special fragrance that is truly memorable.

The second sushi uses a 5.5-catty Cuttlefish 墨魚, and inside Chef Zinc has added some Mentaiko from Fukuoka, to give a touch of spiciness and savoury taste on top of its sweetness. The tender texture, yet also having a good bite, is mind-blowing, and I agree it is superior in quality than any we have tried in Japan or elsewhere.

The third sushi features Kasugo 春子鯛. With each tail only able to make for two pieces, the young seabream has been marinated in Sakura Tree leaves, to infuse the delicate meat with a good note of Sakura taste. As the fish is locally caught and processed, the freshness and texture remains impeccable. A seasonal treat only available for a short period of time.

The fourth sushi is a rarely seen ingredient, Spiny Oyster 車蠔 from Sai Kung. A type of cockle, with a drip of perfume lemon and a bit of salt to season, it has nice sweetness and crunchy. Davey has engaged divers to get these from the seabed, to ensure the quality and safety of the food, which we appreciate his effort.

Transition from sushi, next is Cherry Tomatoes, of different colours, which are grown locally. Each is decorated with a clover leaf, and are served on fermented tomato consommé, with drizzle of sweet basil oil for fragrance. From this dish we can see a glimpse of Chef Zinc’s earlier life as an Italian chef before turning to Japanese cuisine.

Then comes Red Shrimps 赤米 Tart, using the shrimp heads, together with tomato, to cook a sauce and placed underneath the shrimps that had been aged for three days, with a bit of Tai O shrimp paste to bring forth tremendous savoury flavours that are in perfect harmony with sweetness of the shrimps, finishing with a marigold leaf on top.

The third sake is 交酒 花風 ($250), a craft sake from 稲とアガベ in Akita, integrating the traditional sake with the fragrance of hops used to make beer. On the first smell, the unmistaken note of beer is interesting, and upon the sip, the lychee aromas and good crispness on acidity is very pleasant.

From the kitchen the team brings out what looks like roasted pork, but in fact is the belly of a 10-catty Banded Grouper 青斑 that has been dried for 15 days before grilling over charcoal, to a golden, crisp skin. The fish bone is used to prepare a sauce with mustard seeds, giving a touch of acidity, with some mustard sprouts on the side. 

Returning to sushi, the fifth piece is Filefish 沙鯭. While in Japan most of this fish used is farmed, the local ones in HK are still caught, with a sweeter taste, but with a smaller liver though. Putting a bit of liver inside the sushi, together with some chopped chives, the rich fragrance and taste of the sushi is amazing.

The sixth sushi features local Mantis Shrimp 長頸瀨尿蝦. Compared with the short-neck type, this species is recognized of better quality and sweeter. After cooking, the shell has been meticulously removed, presenting the flesh in a neat, good shape. The taste is very sweet, and each bite provides me with pure joy and happiness. Not to be missed.

The seventh sushi goes back to Ma Yau 馬友, but this time Chef Zinc uses the belly of the threadfin to marinate in shoyu, infusing the flesh with extra layer of savoury. A very different experience compared with the earlier one on hay-smoking, the fantastic taste of its fish oil is more profound in this case, truly memorable.

The eighth and last piece features Kuruma Prawn 花竹蝦. After slow-cooking the prawn, Chef Zinc then removes the shell and innards to prepare the sushi. With a bouncy texture and unbelievably sweet taste, the prawn head was used to extract the prawn oil and brushed onto the prawn to enhance the flavours to the next level.

A special treat from Davey, to thank for our patronage, is the Fresh Fish Maw from a 25-catty Sea Bass 白花鱸. After cooking in ginger and spring onion, and soaked for a day, the fish maw is immersed in dashi and shoyu for half a day and then drizzled with a bit of chicken oil upon serving. Softer in texture, with also a more delicate, refined taste.

The Tamagoyaki 玉子焼 also has a twist. Chef Zinc first smoked the Star Snapper 石蚌, creating a special effect of having the fish oil forming a layer of jelly under the skin. The fish bones are used to make an intense broth and mixed with whisked egg to prepare the omelette, using the fish oil in the process. 

The Soup features Pike Conger 門鱔, and after big effort to remove the bones, they are used to prepare two broths. One is a clear broth with kombu and the other a more intensely flavoured one. The latter one is then used to braise the fresh fish maw of pike conger, before rolling with the meat, and pouring the clear broth on it to just cook it through. Amazing in taste.

The last sake I have is 風の森 25周年記念 未来予想酒Ⅲ 時の重なり三重奏 ($250). The sake has a surprising rich vanilla and oaky character, clean and elegant despite its high alcohol level at 19%. During mid-fermentation a shochu aged over 10 years in barrel is added, along with 10-year-old aged sake, to create this unique style. Must try. 

The dessert features some local fruit and produce. Using fresh strawberries grown in Tai Tong, and together with mascarpone, Chef Zinc made a pink mousse. On top is a sauce made from Yuen Long white strawberry and lychee honey, scattered with homemade plum powder, with lemon verbena leaves to add fragrance. At bottom is a piece of crispy cake from the Sau Kei Wan neighbourhood. Not too sweet, a happy finale to finish a great meal.

Service is good as always, with Chef Zinc very interactive with the customers, and with Davey joining to share with us all the knowledge it is a great evening with good food and learning. The bill on the night is $6,380. Considering the overall experience, I would rate this restaurant an Excellent 85. Worth returning, especially not to be missed on any upcoming special event like this one featuring local produce.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Mian 紅棉

This Chinese restaurant is located at The Murray, on Cotton Tree Drive in Admiralty, under the renowned executive chef Ronald Shao, who integrates ideas from the different culinary regions of China to create some unique dishes. Today, we come to experience what magic Chef Shao has weaved for us.

Going up a flight of steps from the entrance at the podium, the staff shows us to our table. It is spacious and comfortable, and the neat décor provides a pleasant and relaxing ambience. Apart from the indoor dining area and VIP rooms, there is also an outdoor terrace. With the cool weather I was surprised there were many diners sitting outside.

For starter, we have Chilled Mantis Shrimp 英芥椒香瀨尿蝦 ($498). Very beautifully presented, the chef has removed the shell of mantis shrimp and served the meat chilled, with a bit of English mustard mixed with chili paste on top to give a touch of spiciness and fragrance, plus some sliced fennel on top to freshen up the palate.

Upon the recommendation of the manager, we also ordered Mian’s Roasted Barbecue Iberico Pork 別不同叉燒 ($288). Unlike the typical local char siu, Chef Shao had added plenty of coriander on top, bringing in extra layer of fragrance to the tender and juicy BBQ pork, perfectly grilled and marinated very well. 

Then we had Chrysanthemum Tofu Soup 松茸浮萍菊花 ($208 each). The clear broth was intense in flavours and rich in umami, without a hint of oil. The tofu is skillfully cut to resemble a blossoming chrysanthemum, with matsutake slices to add an elegant fragrance. Fantastic soup not to be missed.

Another of Chef Shao’s signature is Sweet & Sour Pork 刁轉咕嚕肉 ($338). The pork meat was coated with a thin layer of tapioca starch before deep-frying, making the surface crisp while the inside is still juicy and soft. The sweet and sour sauce was perfect in balance, and the use of dried pineapple helped to keep the sauce thick and sticky to meat.

We probably had ordered too much but did not regret having Beef Brisket & Tendon in Chili Pepper Broth 椒香清湯牛筋蝴蝶腩 ($264 half portion). With only limited servings per day, the beef brisket was so tender it must have been braised for long hours. The other highlights was the broth, with an appetizing peppery note that was amazing. 

To finish off we had Baked Japan Kagoshima Pork Chop Rice 有機番茄焗日本黑豚豬扒飯配煎荷包蛋 ($298 half portion). Everything is made to order, from fried rice to deep-fried pork chop, while the taste was very good, having good acidity from the organic tomato and the fried egg perfectly done, it was not exactly out of this world as many had claimed. 

For dessert, the manager helped us to combine Black Sesame Roll 生磨芝麻卷and Hawthorn Cake 山楂糕 ($98). The black sesame roll was rich in sesame flavours and brought back memories enjoying them when we were small. The nice surprise was the hawthorn cake, having good sourness and sweetness, good for digestion.

Service is good, with the staff recommending we have half portions for some of the dishes, so we did not end up ordering too much. The bill on the night was $2,486. Considering the food quality and overall dining experience, I would rate this restaurant an Excellent 75 points, worth returning to try some more of Chef Shao’s signature dishes.