Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - VEA

Our last visit to this Michelin restaurant was already five years ago, and today, on our wedding anniversary, we decided to return to experience once again the amazing cuisine from Chef Vicky Cheng and his team, with his Chinese x French philosophy which bridges Chef Vicky’s Chinese roots and his Western culinary training.

Arriving on time at The Wellington in Central, we are seated at the middle section of the familiar 25-seat marble counter along the length of the open kitchen. Apart from the counter seats, there are a few tables set up on one side, and another VIP room on the other to cater for larger party. 

We go for 8 Course Menu ($2,280 each), with me opting for the Chinese wine pairing ($1,780) while my wife goes for Mocktail pairing ($580). I also have a glass of Diebolt-Vallois Prestige Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs ($280). Using only Chardonnay from the Grand Cru vineyards, it is refreshing, bone-dry crispness with nice floral notes to start the meal. 

The first course includes two Snacks, of Savoury Selections. On a Parmesan tart there are crispy puff rice and chopped bak choy, to enjoy together with some salted fish mousse on the side. The concept comes from George Lam’s famous song, which Chef Vicky used to propose to his wife. A great story and wonderful starter.

The other snack is French Brioche Toast with Red Prawn. On the buttery brioche toast are the Mediterranean red prawn, which has nice sweetness and succulent texture, and glazed by some Sichuan peppers extract for a touch of spiciness. On the side is sabayon cream made from red prawn heads to enhance the savoury richness. Very delicious.

The wine paired for the next course is Tinnyu Winery 5PM Rose 2024, from Shangri-La in Yunnan. With the vineyards at a very high attitude at 2,300 to 2,800 metres, this rose wine is a blend of Blanc de Noirs of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, with plenty of light red fruit and minerality, good refreshing acidity. 

The second course features Kristal Caviar. The beautiful black roe of the sturgeon is put on a Patchun vinegar jelly, on top of a creamy white dressing made from Taiwan water bamboo shoot, as well as some large, 9-year-old lily bulb from Lanzhou, with a drizzle of olive oil essences. The sauce has a delicate sweetness, matching well with the savoury of caviar. 

The next wine is The Starting Point Winery Riesling 2022, from Helan Mountain, Ningxia. I have tasted this wine just recently and are impressed by its nice minerality and crispness, with good fruity notes and some petrol characters. A well-made wine.

The third course features Amberjack, with the sliced fish having nice fattiness and sandwiched with sliced persimmon. Inside are minced amberjack, mixed with diced 2-years preserved turnip to add some crunchiness. Underneath is pumpkin panna cotta, with diced pumpkin and pumpkin seeds, and stingy herb oil dressing for an herbal touch.

The third wine is The Dongqu Single Vintage 2007, from Shaoxing. This high-end yellow wine brand has become very popular recently, appearing in a lot of starred restaurants. And this vintage one comes from exceptional years; the wine has good acidity and a tangerine peel on the palate with its signature wooden notes. The sommelier also adds an ice cube infused with dried sour plum to balance and increase further complexity in flavours.

The fourth course features Sea Cucumber and is a dish I remember well from the last visit. The Hokkaido sea cucumber has a crispy surface but retaining its amazing bouncy texture. Stuffed with a nice tiger prawn patty, very tasty with great texture, a bit of the aged Shaoxing wine is sprayed on top for a bit of caramel and nuttiness aromas.

The fourth wine is United Winery Beyond Time Viognier 2024, from Helan Mountain in Ningxia. The wine is fragrant, with its varietal characters of perfume and floral highlighted well, with a full body of creamy texture, supporting the match of congee and the mushroom earthy tones very well.

The fifth course features Yunnan Mushroom, in a congee format. On the left is a white mushroom foam, while in the middle is Yunnan fresh morel which are stuffed with finely chopped mushroom. On the right are some shredded Yunnan termite mushroom prepared in confit, like preserved vegetables. Wrapping up at the bottom are the 20 years preserved turnip with deep, fantastic flavours. 

To add more variety to the pairing, the sommelier also treated me a complimentary glass of Canaan Winery Chapter and Verse Sauvignon Blanc 2018, from Huailai, Hebei to pair with the congee. With maturity, it has a style reminiscent of Bordeaux white, smoky with green bell pepper, and herbaceous notes that are quite prominent. 

The sixth wine is Legacy Peak Estate Chardonnay 2022, from Helan Mountain, Ningxia. Only 1,246 bottles are made from this single vineyard, and are all offered only in magnum size. Having aged in barrel for over 18 months, the style has a Bourgogne style, with elderflower, jasmine and citrus elegance. A good match with threadfin. 

To transition to the main course, a sorbet made from Chinese hawthorn is served, to cleanse and freshen our palate, with its wonderful sweetness and acidity able to stimulate the appetite again for the main courses to come. 

The sixth course features local Threadfin. Adding some black garlic shaves like black truffle, there are some cordyceps underneath the fatty fish fillet, which has a beautiful, caramelized surface and rich in fish oil. Together with gingko and some pickled wood-ear mushroom for contrast in texture, the fish sauce has some sand ginger to add its unique fragrance to the amazing flavours.

The seventh wine paired is another wine from Yunnan, a Cabernet Sauvignon XiaoLing Estate called RiMi, of vintage 2019. Grown in vineyards at an extreme altitude above 2,000m, this one has plenty of fruit, but more towards the red fruit of red cherry and cranberry, with more floral characters. Slightly chilled, it is a good match with abalone.

The seventh course features the 28 Head Dried Abalone. Inside the mouth-watering crust of the pithivier is a layer of spinach, wrapping the soft sweetbread, French ham, and the dried abalone, served with abalone sauce, which uses fish maw to thicken to the required effect. Even requiring a supplement of $1,680 it is well worth paying to experience.

Seeing how I am enjoying all the food, the staff asks whether I am full or have room for something extra. He duly arranges a Chicken Roll, with the crispy skin wrapping chicken thigh meat, together with a thin layer of cheese with enriched flavours. With carrot puree neatly presented, and a rich jus to go along, I am fortunate to get to try this as well. 

To pair with the chicken roll, the sommelier has also arranged an additional wine, United Winery Beyond Time Marselan 2022, from Ningxia. From the same producer of the Viognier I had tasted earlier, this red wine is rich, with good black fruit, licorice and tea leaves, nice earthiness and gamey. 

Coming to dessert, the sweet wine paired is Puchang Vineyard, Clovine Muscat 2015. Located in Tianshan Mountain Basin, the ‘fire pit’ of China, this Muscat Blanc has a ginger note, with white flowers, lemon, and some more sweet spice, with intense flavours because of its hot climate. Good to match the different desserts on the night.

The Sundae has a delicious sweet potato ice cream, dusted with some Parmesan cheese to create a mix of savoury and sweet flavours. Underneath are some chestnut puree and ginger juice jelly, all contributing to highlight authentic flavours and taste of the different ingredients to the best effect, recreating the traditional Chinese sweet potato sweet soup.

The other dessert features Black Truffle. Cutting a slice of the large pie, it has creamy soft soy sauce toffee fillings on a nice pie crust, with black truffle slices covering the top. There is also a rich and thick pear puree sauce on the side, with the delicate fruity notes balancing the more intense flavours of the pie to good effect.

Finally, the Mignardises has two interesting, sweet finales. The first is a glutinous rice ball sandwiched between crunchy caramel discs, with a great contrast of two different textures. The other is traditional candy & coconut wrap that we like during childhood, featuring durian or coconut ice cream. Great taste and recalling good memories.

Service is fantastic, with the staff very friendly, the sommelier knowledgeable, and the overall atmosphere impeccable. While the bill on the night is $10,032 and on the high side, considering the quality of food and wine, and the overall dining experience, I would rate this restaurant an Excellent 85 points. Must try.

Wineshark Home Cooking - Bean Shoots and Mushroom Olive Oil Garlic Spaghetti 豆苗與蘑菇橄欖油蒜香義大利麵

Ingredients (for 2):

• Spaghetti - 160g
• Mushroom - 8 pieces
• Bean shoots - 1 bag
• White dashi - 2 tbsp
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Garlic - 2 tsp
• Red chili - 2
• Water from cooking pasta - 150ml

Procedures

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

2. Chop the garlic finely.

3. Remove the seeds and cut the red chili into small pieces.

4. Transfer the cooked spaghetti to the frying pan.

5. Pour in white dashi, olive oil, minced garlic, red chili, mushroom, bean shoots, and water from the pasta cooking to the spaghetti.

6. Cook at medium heat until the sauce boils, then turn to a slightly lower heat and continue to cook for 3 minutes.

7. Serve.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Tempura Nagaoka

Hearing that a new tempura restaurant has recently opened in Lee Garden Three, we came to Causeway Bay today to try it out. In fact, this is the first overseas outlet of a famous restaurant in Hakata. Through the entrance the restaurant is effectively split in half, and we are taken to the section on the left, seated at the open counter and seeing the chefs busy in preparation in the background.

At that moment we were greeted by a familiar face and are joyful to see a person we know from another sushi restaurant for a long time who is now working here. After some happy conversations and exchanges of our latest situation, we decided to order the limited promotional Crab Feast Omakase ($788 each).

To pair with the food, I also order a bottle of Nabeshima Junmai Ginjo Kitashizuku ($680). The famous brewery in Saga is one of my favourite sake houses, and this bottle has a clean and crisp profile, showing nice fruity melon and exotic fruit, with good umami and slightly sweet as well.

Starting with Amuse Bouche, it is Crab Meat and Salmon Roe Pudding. Extracting the crab meat from the body, they are then mixed with salmon roe, served on a pudding, with the bowl sitting on an ice holder to keep the temperature low. Thoughtful in idea, the crab meat unfortunately is very bland in taste, affecting overall enjoyment.

Next comes Sashimi, featuring Matsuba Crab Meat with Seasonal Fish, including Hotategai and Shima-Aji. With vinegar to pair with the crab legs, it helps to provide some flavours to the crab, while the scallops and yellowtail are decent in quality and freshness. Mediocre, but probably not fair to compare with what we expect from sushi restaurants though.

The third course features Matsuba Crab with Potato Salad. The white crab meat is put on top of the boiled potato salad, with curry mayonnaise at the bottom. Mixing everything together, the potato salad is delicious, with the unique curry flavours helping to elevate the taste. It made me think why we need to have crab meat on this one.

Coming to the Tempura part of the menu, the set includes seven kinds, serving straight from the stove. The batter of the tempura is thin and not oily, delivering to the expectation of a tempura restaurant. The Matsuba Crab Legs is meaty, and best to dip with sea salt.

The second one is Matsuba Crab Claws. The large claw is also meaty, delicate in taste, and while the claw is best with the tempura sauce, the meat can be enjoyed with different types of salt. 

The third one is Crab Meat & Roe with Seaweed Tempura. Placed on a crunchy nori piece are a mix of crab meat and crab miso, with also some deep-fried Sakura shrimps on top to add to the flavours. No need to dip any salt in the process.

The fourth piece is King Crab with Shiso. The crab meatball is wrapped in shiso leaf before deep-frying, making it easier to keep its shape and supplementing a nice fragrance. My favourite tempura on the night. 

The fifth one is Fish Cake with Crab Soup, with the chef also preparing other tempura vegetables including maitake, green chili, and taro also, served in a thick soup with crab meat. The fish cake is bouncy, with the vegetables nicely cooked and still tender. 

The last two pieces are Sweet Potato and Asparagus. The sweet potato has nice flavours and soft, while the asparagus is tender and without the hard fibers in chewing, showcasing the quality of the food itself.

The Matsuba Crab and Salmon Roe Claypot Rice has enough for two bowls each person, with the same combination of crab meat and salmon roe as the starting amuse bouche so it is a bit boring. Taste is decent though and served together with miso soup.

Finally, the dessert is an interesting Mandarin & Red Bean Paste Tempura with Mochi. The mandarin is wrapped in the red bean paste before deep-frying, and then there is a mochi strip to encircle everything. The acidity from the mandarin balances the sweetness of the red bean paste well.

Service is good, not only because we know one of the staff here, but from observing how the team interacts with other customers we can feel their enthusiasm. The bill on the night is $2,482, reasonable. Considering the overall experience and food quality, I would rate this restaurant at 68 points. Can Try.

Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Ando

Our last visit to this Michelin one-star restaurant was back in 2021, and after five years, we return to Wellington Street in Central, to once again experience the culinary wonders created by Chef Agustin Balbi and his team, which combines the influences from Spain, Italy, Argentina and Japan.

The interior décor has not changed, with the open kitchen on one side, and the tables are nicely set to offer good privacy. We take the Experience Menu ($2,388 each) and I also go for Wine pairing ($1,150). Soon the staff shows us a tray holding the different fresh ingredients that will be used on the night, that are vibrant and colourful. 

The welcome drink is a brewed tea, using Bai Hao Yin Zhen, a top-tier white tea known as one of top ten tea in China. Its name comes from its straight needle shape, plus some white hairs covering the tea leaves. With a touch of honey and ginger, it is refreshing and has good antioxidant effects.

The chef has prepared three Bocaditos, or canapes in Spain. Served on a crunchy tartlet shell are some very sweet, chopped Ama-Ebi. The Japanese sweet shrimp are served raw to preserve the great sweetness, and paired with some pumpkin spheres, together with blood orange puree to give a touch of acidity. 

The second canape features Smoked Hamachi, with the Japanese yellowtail of good fattiness, rich in delicious fish oil. Prepared in a nori sheet, with long pepper, dashi jelly, and some deep-fried white kombu on top to give a contrast in texture, the umami of the kombu and yellowtail are highly complementary in taste. 

The third canape is Wagyu Beef Tartare, nicely seasoned and chopped to small pieces, before placing on a biscuit and covered with transparent dashi gel. The flavours are wonderful, with the beef tender and rich in taste, balanced by the dashi gel to give a subtle layer of umami to the wagyu. All three starters are amazing.

The homemade Sourdough Bread has a crunchy crust and airy interior. The chef has added some raisins as well. To pair with the bread, there are two different olive oils served. One is Carmen del Poaig from Spain, blending three different kinds of olive, with more grassy notes. The other is Zuccardi from Argentina, fruity and nutty, of sharper taste. 

The first wine pairing is Jiranjigyo Takju, a premium Korean rice wine, or makgeolli. The wine is made from traditional method to ferment rice for 100 days, followed by 90 days of ageing. With a thick and creamy texture, the wine has a nice combination of sweet, sour and fruity notes. An interesting and creative choice to pair tuna.

The first course features Spanish Tuna, with the chef using the lean cut of the flesh to prepare a tartare on the bottom, seasoned with a bit of smoked soy sauce. On top is smoked paprika espuma, with the foam bringing a tiny touch of spice and smoky note, finishing with Kristal caviar on top to provide a nice savoury touch premium.

With us going for an additional course of red prawn, there is also an additional wine to pair. Chateau de Pibaron Bandol 2023 is an iconic Provence rose, showing nice strawberry and cherries aromas, plus herbs and a saline palate. The slight tannin and minerality note is a good match with red prawn. 

The second course features Carabinero Red Prawns from Spain ($540 per person). The prized red prawn is served semi-raw with a silky panna cotta, together with ossetra caviar on top. The sauce is made from Japanese mushroom and kasuzuke, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, plus another using the prawn head mixed with butter and citrus. 

The third wine pairing is Valdespino Inocente Single Vineyard Fino Sherry. Using the traditional approach of making sherry, the wine has seen fermentation in large oak barrels, for the development of the flor, giving a rich nutty almond, olive, and yeasty characters, which goes well with the earthy tone of the mushroom soup coming up.

The third course features Yunnan Wild Mushroom, presented in a rich concentrated consommé soup style. The base broth is a flavourful shiitake dashi, with the dumpling having delicious fillings of maitake, morel and cordyceps freshly flown in Yunnan. Together with a piece of kinome leaf to give a peppery fragrance, it is healthy and hearty.

The fourth wine pairing is Andre et Michel Drappier Brut Nature Zero Dosage NV. The Blanc de Noirs champagne has delicious rich zesty, quince, and stone fruit notes, at the same time having subtle spicy characters. A very refreshing sparkling wine to enjoy, and good to match for seafood of lighter texture. 

…which made it ideal for the fourth course, featuring Blue Lobster from Brittany, is the airy foam on top of the lobster tail, contrasting nicely with the bouncy lobster meat. The sauce is a rich lobster bisque prepared with saffron, coconut and shallot, which are served together with some nameko mushrooms as well. 

The fifth wine pairing is Domaine Sylvain Cathiard & Fils Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits 2022. With the typical red fruit characters of raspberry and cherries dominating, there are some nice spiciness on the finish. Contrary to the typical pairing with full bodied red, this lighter wine is chosen to match with the leaner Angus beef for the main course.

The fifth course features Argentina Angus Beef, with the fillet slightly smoked and then seared to medium level, pink on the inside, juicy and tender. Served with the jus and chimichurri as condiment, on top of the beef are some deep-fried kales for its crisp texture. On the side is parsnip puree, with some bak choy and crosne.

The sixth wine paired is 7-year aged Dongqu, a traditional Chinese Shaoxing yellow wine that has been getting a lot of attention recently, as I have seen it featured in a lot of high-end restaurants in the last few months. The heritage savoury taste, with the familiar notes of almond and pickled plum is a perfect match for the next course.

The sixth course, Arroz Caldoso. The chef uses Yi O rice grown in Lantau, adding to a delicious broth made from chicken, dashi, and herbs including local turmeric. Together with king crab meat plus some kaffir lime leaves for its fragrance, a paste made from local herbs and chili is used to spice up the flavours. 

To pair with the desserts, the seventh wine is Jean Vesselle Ratafia Champenois. A blend of grape musts with brandy, the liqueur has nice sweetness, supplemented with some spicy notes on top of the quince and candied fruit on the palate. A nice versatile wine to go with a variety of desserts.

The seventh course is Citrus Yogurt. Mixing with yogurt are segments of orange, grapefruit, and pomelo, where the citrus fruit provides a wonderful combination of sweetness and acidity. With drizzle of olive oil and honey lemon, this dessert is light and refreshing, also serves as a nice palate cleanser.

The eighth course features 62% Dark Chocolate. Anchoring is a chocolate dark rum sponge cake, with the cocoa nibs scattered on top, and covered by a beautiful caramel tuile. The sea salt and rooibos tea, having a nice blend of salty and sweetness, with a surprisingly matching touch with the chocolate.

The Mignardises is a series of small treats, including a creamy sweet potato ice-cream, crème brulee on macaron shell, miso caramel hazelnut cookie, and yuzu hawthorn truffle. Unique and creative till the very end, even this petits fours show how the chef has creatively made use of Japanese ingredients into his cuisine for best results.

Service is good, with the staff friendly and eager to explain the dishes and ingredients. For those who want more privacy, there is also a VIP room which can accommodate 8 to 10 people. The bill on the night is $7,850. Considering the overall dining experience, food quality and service, I would rate this restaurant an Excellent 80 points. Worth returning.