2020年2月29日 星期六

Wineshark Cooking Class - Cream of Chickpeas Soup

Ingredients (for 4):

  • Oil - 2 tbsp
  • Onion shredded - 6 oz
  • Celery - 2 oz
  • Bacon - 2 strips
  • Bay leaf - 2 
  • Chickpeas - 10 oz
  • Stock - 2 lb 8 oz
  • Salt - 1 tsp
  • White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
  • White wine - 1 oz
  • Whipping cream - 2 oz
Procedures:

1. Cut the onion in shreds.

2. Cut the celery into small dices.

3. Cut the bacon into small pieces.

4. Saute the onion with oil.

5. Add the celery and continue to cook for a while.

6. Add the bacon and continue to cook.

7. Add the chickpeas and mix well.

8. Add the stock and allow it to cook for 20 minutes.

9. Cool it down and blend the ingredients.

10. Reheat the soup, season with salt and white pepper powder. Add cream in.

Wineshark Cooking Class - Baked Snails Filo Pastry

Ingredients (for 4):

  • Snails - 1 can
  • Butter - 1/2 oz
  • Onion finely - 2 oz
  • Garlic finely - 1 tsp
  • Button mushroom - 6 pieces
  • Rosemary - 1/2 tsp
  • Tarragon - 1/2 tsp
  • Brandy - 1 1/2 tsp
  • White wine - 2 tsp
  • Salt - 1/2 tsp
  • White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Procedures:

1. Chop the onion finely.

2. Saute the onion with butter.

3. Add garlic and cook for a short while.

4. Add the snails and mix well. 

5. Add the chopped button mushroom and mix well.

6. Add the herbs, seasonings, and the wine. Cool it down completely.

7. Prepare the puff pastry and form into a tart shape. Add the snails as fillings.

8. Brush the outside of the puff with egg, then put into oven and bake until the pastry turns golden brown.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Hung Tong


This Chinese restaurant is located in Kerry Hotel in Hung Hom. After going up to the 7th floor, the first sight greeted us was the interesting iron gate we often seen in the entrance of the apartments, when we were still young, but nowadays disappearing in newer buildings.


Greeted warmly by the staff we were seated at a table on the window side, looking out at the Victoria Harbour. With the lights on the opposite side of the harbour, it is a great view to accompany our dinner.


The interior decor was nice, featuring different elements to echo the traditional HK household, like the iron gate, brick column, and window panes. Quite comfortable with a cozy setting, the lighting was dimmed to offer a more relaxing ambiance.


We ordered the Premium Set Dinner Menu ($1,688 each). The first course was the Hung Tong Appetizer Trio, comprising of Barbecued Premium Pork with Maple Syrup, Marinated Jellyfish and Greenhouse Cucumber in Aged Vinegar, and Deep-fried Crispy Tofu with Spiced Salt. Among the three, I like the BBQ pork the most. The meat was grilled perfectly with the right char but not too burnt and dry. The maple syrup was appropriate on sweetness and got an unique fragrance. The jellyfish is crunchy, matching well with the aged vinegar. The tofu was also nicely done, with a thin crispy crust and soft interior, seasoned with the spiced salt. A good appetizer indeed.


The second course was Bird's Nest Soup with Crab Meat and Peach Resin. Upon serving we were surprised by the amount of bird's nest in the soup. A very sizable and generous portion, the soup had appropriately seasoned so that even after mixing the bird's nest the soup would not be diluted too much to affect the taste. There were plenty of fresh crab meat and the supreme broth was also rich and of great taste. I would prefer the soup to be even hotter in temperature though.


The third course was Stir-fried Coral Mussels with Vegetables and XO Sauce. The coral mussels are really the intestines of sea cucumber, and the chef had stir-fried beautifully, just cooked well to maintain the crunchy texture. The asparagus was also tender, but I think the cut made them difficult to be picked up by chopsticks. Might be something to think about by the chef to improve the dining experience.


The fourth course was Braised Abalone (6 Heads) with Goose Web in Oyster Sauce. The goose web was braised nicely, allowing the skin to easily detach from the bones. The oyster sauce was tasty, not overly salty, and imparts the savory notes to both the goose web and further stimulate the deep and intense flavors of the abalone, which was also greatly braised with tenderness. A nice dish worth ordering even in a la carte.


The fifth course was originally a signature of the restuarant, Sauteed Garoupa with Wild Mushrooms and Asparagus. But the staff informed us that the garoupa was not good and requested to change to the Sauteed Prawn with Scallop and Broccoli. I believe that with the coronavirus going on the restaurant might not be ordering the big fish, and accepted the switch. The prawn was nice, very crunchy and flavorful, easily able to tell it was fresh and not those frozen ones.


The sixth course was Braised Seasonal Vegetables with Conpoy and Bamboo Piths. The Chinese lettuce was tender, with the bamboo piths offering the special crunchy texture, and fully absorbed the flavours from the oyster sauce. Further adding the umami of the conpoy this is also a nice dish, simple as it may seem, but important to do it right.


The seventh course was Fried Rice with Seafood, Black Truffle and Pumpkin. Fragrant with the black truffle aroma, the rice was nicely fried with each individual grain separated. There were plenty of seafood added, with prawn scallop, and then having also some finely diced pumpkin which added a bit of sweetness to the rice. A nice and filling conclusion before dessert.


The eighth course was Chilled Mango Sago Cream with Pomelo and Steamed Royal Red Date Cake with Coconut Milk. The mango sago was very good, with the right acidity and sweetness to make it refreshing and not just sweet. The pomelo and mango pieces also adding nice tropical flavours. The red date cake was equally impressive with a nice chewy texture, rich in the taste of the red date with a coconut milk layer in between.

The overall experience was quite good, except that throughout the night the speed of serving was rather slow. I also overheard from the table behind that they had the same issue and complaint. While I did not ask the staff to speed up, with the restaurant not in full house on the night that might seem a bit disorganized.

The bill was $3,713 and fairly reasonable considering the premium ingredients used in a number of the dishes. Maybe next time it is worth coming to try out some of the more signature dishes and order a la carte.

2020年2月27日 星期四

Wineshark Japan Tour Hot Spots - Nakamachi Komise Street 中町こみせ通り

Address: 青森県黒石市中町36

Tel: 017-252-2558

Website: http://kuroishi.or.jp/sightseeing/komisedoori

Date of Visit: 2 Nov 2019




After trying out the rainbow trout at Lake Towada, we drove to Kuroishi, visiting the famous Nakamachi Komise, selected as one of the top 100 streets in Japan. The traditional buildings and arcades have remained in their original form since the Hansei period (藩政時代). This is said to be unparalleled nationwide.


The feature of Nakamachi Komise Street is that there is an arcade that protects people from the sun and snowstorm. This street, which used to be an old shopping street, is a street full of humanity that has created an arcade on their premises for those who came to shop.


One can visit the Takahashi Family House (高橋家), a nationally designated important cultural property in this street. The Takahashi family is a rice merchant in Kuroishi family for many generations. The name of the shop is called Yoneya (米屋) because it mainly handles rice grains. But the family also sells miso, soy sauce and salt.

Rihyo Takahashi (高橋理右衛門), who lived in Nakamachi in 1717, purchased the current site in 1755, and the family house was built in 1763. In addition, the site has been expanded twice in 1780 and 1800. It is a typical large merchant house in the Tsugaru district.

The Takahashi family house is open to visit, but since it is a private residence, it will be opened for only a limited period. Also, it is not open during the winter period (December to March).


Nakamura Kameyoshi (中村亀吉酒造) was founded by the owner of the same name in 1913, with the brewery under the name of Tamadare (玉垂). Since then, it has been carefully made by Tsugaru (津軽杜氏), who is their master brewer for many years.


Its sake is brewed with attention to the individuality of the brewery and the Tsugaru climate. It has been highly regarded and also won many awards in competitions. It is one of Tsugaru's representative local sake with a gentle and delicate taste.

2020年2月26日 星期三

Wineshark Japan Tour Hot Spots - Suzuhiro Kamaboko Museum 鈴廣 かまぼこの里

Address: 神奈川県小田原市風祭245

Tel: 04-6522-3191

Website: https://www.kamaboko.com/

Date of Visit: 29 Jan 2020


Checking out from Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo we drove to Odawara, a city in Kanagawa, and the first stop was this famous producer of fish cake, or kamaboko, a traditional Japanese delicacy dating back to the 12th century, enjoyed by samurai and nobility. Suzuhiro is a company founded in 1865, committed to using all-natural, sustainable and local ingredients.











Originally we booked a kamaboko making class but because there was serious traffic congestion on the way from Tokyo, we had spent more than double the time on the road, missing the time for the class. Rather unfortunate, we toured the museum instead to try to learn more the process of making kamaboko through the exhibits.

Beside the museum, in the village one can also visit the Suzunari market selling the products from the company as well as other local products. There are also a few restaurants, one that we went for lunch and had a truly amazing experience, which would be covered separately in the blog.

A good place to drop by if you are going to Hakone from Tokyo. 

2020年2月25日 星期二

Wineshark Japan Restaurant Review - Tochino Chaya とちの茶屋

Address: 青森県十和田市奥瀬十和田湖畔休屋486

Tel: 017-675-2231

Website: Nil

Date of Visit: 2 Nov 2019


Returning from the boat tour in Lake Towada, we walked to this restaurant for lunch. Located on the side of the lake, very near to the famous maiden statue from the sculptor Kotaro Takamura, it is apparently popular for tourists, as the restaurant was full. Fortunately we only needed to wait for a short while before getting our table.


The décor is of Japanese-style, serving food prepared with local ingredients, and particularly the delicious rainbow trout. Not to miss the local delicacy, I ordered the rainbow trout sashimi set meal, while my wife went for the kiritanpo pot set meal.


The trout is very fresh and tasty, with a soft and melting texture, very delicious indeed. The restaurant is opened all day in the week from 9:00-16:00, with 20 parking spaces available in the square outside. A good stop before or after going for the lake tour.

  • にじます刺身定食 (1,450 yen)
  • きりたんぼ鍋定食 (1,650 yen)


2020年2月23日 星期日

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Birdie


This yakitori restaurant is located on 6th floor of H Code, the hip building near the top of Pottinger Street. There is an open kitchen right in the middle, with 18 counter seats surrounding the kitchen plus a number of normal tables on the side. The restaurant is very popular and with serving arrangements, the first slot from 6 to 8 pm, while the second from 9 to 11 pm.


Tonight we came a bit earlier than our booking time, arriving at 6:45 pm while there were a number of customers dining already. We sat at one side of the counter and in fact I like the spot as we could see the team in action clearly. There is a grill 'island' and seeing the staff filling the charcoal, busy grilling the different yakitori is entertainment already. The restaurant soon was fully seated. With the current coronavirus outbreak it is amazing they are still attracting so many patrons.


We started with a new dish, a collaboration between Birdie with Tominokoji Yamagishi. The Tender Chicken Breast with Uni and Yamagishi Special Vinegar Jure ($150) is beautifully plated, with the uni on top of the chicken breast, with some finely chopped seaweed sprinkled. The uni is sweet and matched very well with the vinegar sauce, thickened to semi-jelly texture. And mixing with a bit of wasabi the dish is a really good appetizer.




We have ordered many different yakitori, with the first round having Wing ($38), Gizzard ($45) and Liver ($45). The chicken wing is grilled perfectly, with a crispy skin seasoned well with salt, while the meat is tender and juicy. The gizzard is very crunchy and the liver has been coated with a home-made sauce, with a soft bite. All are very good.





The next batch coming had Pork Belly and Asparagus Roll ($45), Ginkyo ($35), Pancetta and Mozzarella Roll ($40) and Chicken Harami ($42). The pork belly is not too fat and got a rich aroma, while the asparagus offers a nice contrasting bite. The ginkgo is decent, and the pancetta and mozzarella roll is a surprisingly good choice. The cheese was very soft and melting in the bacon, with the smoky note highly appealing. The chicken harami got a very interesting crunchy texture, and is my first time eating that, and definitely worth trying it out.





The final round I had Grilled Rice Ball ($40), Heart ($45), Thigh ($45) and Tsukune ($45). We saw how the rice ball takes meticulously effort to grill properly, with the chef putting a shiso and then adding a sauce during different stages of the grilling. The result was fantastic and the rice got a nice crunchy surface but not burnt or dried out.

It was my first experience on the grilled chicken heart. They were very good and the chef had prepared a yuzu sauce with spring onion, and it was one of my favorites in the evening. The thigh was meaty and good, while the other of my favorites is the tsukune. The minced chicken got some small soft bones so offering a great bite. The sauce was very tasty, not overly sweet or salty, and seeing the chef personally handling all the grilling of this for all tables probably also show the importance of this yakitori to himself. A truly great tsukune, one of the best I have ever tasted.

With two bottles of water, the bill was $1,211 which is reasonable considering the quality and and whole ambiance it is worth the price. They also got some seasonal sake but because I was driving so could not sample them. A good place I recommend in town if you like yakitori.