This restaurant is located on 3/F IFC Mall, just adjacent to Cuisine Cuisine, also under the Mira Group. The first thing that got our attention was the hanging basket-chair right in front of the logo at the entrance, clearly showing that the restaurant has Instagram-design in mind.
From the reception, we walked along a long, dark corridor, with some nice artworks on both sides, as well as an area with a plush chair and screens, serving as another good spot to take nice photos.
There is a bar section within the main dining area, offering some creative and interesting cocktails. We were seated on a spacious and comfortable circular sofa facing the windows. The overall ambience was contemporary, with smart use of lightings, colors, different materials and patterns to create a cozy and sophisticated atmosphere of fine dining.
We picked the Degustation Menu ($1,288 each) and the first course was Soft Shell Prawn, Salty Egg, Barley Crisp. The salty egg had coated the prawn with great savory flavors, and the chef had cleverly used soft shell prawn so that customers do not need to remove the shell, at the same time protecting the prawn meat from directly stir-fried with the salty egg yolk and masking its flavors. The barley crisp provided further crunchy texture to supplement. A very nice starter.
The second course was Crispy Spoon, A5 Kagoshima Wagyu Beef, Assorted Treasure, Pinenuts. A creative way to serve, the chef had deep-fried a spring roll pastry, made to spoon shape, to hold the finely diced wagyu beef, which had been stir-fried with assorted bell peppers and pinenuts, wonderfully seasoned. This was my favorite in the evening.
The third course was Double Boiled Fish Maw Soup, Japanese Melon, Chuanbei, Almond. The soup had rich and fragrant almond notes, apparently prepared using a very good broth with intense flavors, great in umami. The use of melon to add the touch of delicate sweetness was genius, showing the chef’s smart use of ingredients to give a new twist to traditional cuisine. The man behind it all, Culinary Director Saito Chau, came to introduce the soup and chatted with us a bit.
There was an option for the fourth course, and we had chosen Jumbo Scallop, Sergestid Shrimp Paste. The scallop was truly of jumbo size, cooked perfectly with a nice sear on the surface while soft and tender inside. The savory shrimp paste enhanced the taste tremendously for the scallop, as well as the stir-fried asparagus. Another of my favorite dish for the night.
Serving as a transition and palate cleanser, the fifth course was Pineapple, Preserved Plum. Served beautifully on a clay container with shaved ice, the spherical pickled pineapple was skewered, with a bit of condiment of dill and shiso flower on top. On the side was the mouth-watering preserved plum which I believed was used to marinate the pineapple.
The sixth course was Lobster, Crab Meat, Egg White Custard, Young Coconut. The lobster claw meat was good in taste and served on top of the steamed egg white custard, which was prepared with the young coconut water to infuse with its refreshing taste, with the coconut meat giving some a good bite. The crab meat was flavorful too. Another nice dish, with my only suggestion to reduce the saltiness a tiny bit and it would be perfect.
The seventh course was Crispy Amadai. The whole Japan tilefish had been deep-fried to golden brown, with the skin and scales having a nice crisp. While the fish was fried, on the bite there was no hint of any oiliness, and together with the yuzu soy sauce mixed with finely shredded spring onion, it was delicious. Despite the best effort from the staff in cutting open the fish to serve, there were still some fish bones so one would need to be careful when eating the fish.
The eighth course was Chicken, Oyster, Secret Sauce, Mou Tai. Presented in a small clay pot, the staff poured some mou tai on the lid to allow the high-degree alcohol to vaporize a bit before the spirits seeped through inside. While quite aromatic, the chicken and oyster were a bit soggy with the secret sauce, not sure whether it was because the clay pot was not hot enough, or sauce simply too thick. The seasoning and the taste were quite good though. A bit of a let-down from the high standard so far, and perhaps we should order the other option of Oolong Tea Smoked Chicken despite having to pay extra.
The ninth course was Green Bean Flat Noodle, Crab Roe, Poached Egg. Served on a crab-like container, there were an abundance of tasty crab roe, the mix of steamed hairy crab white and brown meat put on top of the flat noodle, which had been rolled and cut into bite size portions. And how the chef made the Zhejiang vinegar into pearl format as condiments was another innovative magic he had weaved. There was a cup of Red Date Ginger Tea to help balance the ‘cold-natured’ of the crab afterwards. Another thoughtful measure.
The last course was Secret Treasure. The staff came with a red lacquer box, and opening it was a skewer of red-colored tanghulu. While it did look like the traditional candied snack, it had a modern twist, with Chinese hawthorn syrupy skin and the inside was preserved plum ice-cream. The ice-cream reminded me a lot of the preserved plum candy I enjoyed as a kid, with the same flavors, and bringing back some treasured memories.
There was a complimentary Guava Sago Cream the restaurant offered us. An evolved version of a popular dessert, the chef had used guava instead of mango and pomelo, with the taste equally refreshing. The sweetness was also just spot on.
Service was good, with my suggestion mainly on having the staff spending more time to explain each course and the ingredients, so that the customers could relate better to the food for better enjoyment. This comment I believe I had written many times in my reviews for Chinese restaurants in town. The bill was $2,904 and considering the overall experience it was good value. If you want to enjoy some good Chinese cuisine with a modern twist, a cozier and more intimate environment, this is a good place to consider.
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