This restaurant, part of the Black Sheep Group, has only
recently opened, helmed by Chef Luca Marinelli. The concept is to serve small
plates, focusing on seafood and seasonal ingredients in Mediterranean flavours.
Today, we came to Bridges Street in Sheung Wan to try it out.
Dimly lit with tiled floors, the restaurant is not big,
offering a few tables and a chef counter for closer interactions with the
culinary team. Very soon all the tables were taken, showing its popularity. An
interesting thing to note is that they have a common bathroom shared with the
adjacent Jean-Pierre, which I would also like to visit in near future.
Decided to go for the tasting menu ‘In Chef Luca’s Hands’
($888 each), I also had a glass of Tramonti Bianco of Tenuta San Francesco
($148). This white wine from Costa d’ Amalfi is a blend of some local
varieties, with nice fruity and flowery nose, white peaches, and aromatic
herbs, with a crisp and refreshing palate. Easy to drink and good match with
seafood.
After serving us a piece of Focaccia with olive oil, the
meal started with some appetizers. The first is Iwashi on Toast. The sourdough
toast was crunchy, applied with a paste of Japanese fruit tomato, Cantabrian
anchovy, and aioli, to present a wonderful savoury and sweet balance, and
finished with the fillet of Japanese sardines on top.
The second was Cod Tarama, a spread mixed with the salted
and cured roe of cod, seasoned with olive oil, paprika and spring onion. On the
sides were some French radish and toasted sourdough for dipping, offering a
crunchy bite for this creamy and flavourful meze which was very nicely done.
The third one was Hokkaido Uni on Toast. Instead of
sourdough this time the chef had used brioche, with a buttery and soft texture.
The prized Bafun sea urchin was creamy and sweet, great in quality, with a
seaweed butter and lime spread in between for additional flavours and enjoyment.
The fourth and last starter was Red Mullet Fritti. After
removing the bones from red mullet, the fish meat was cut into strips and
deep-fried, together with some tender Haricot verts. The batter was very thin but
a bit too oily, fortunately the chef prepared a dip on the side, made from fines
herbes, to give acidity to balance.
Transitioning to raw, Chef Luca had arranged a few courses
for us, starting with Madai. The Japanese seabream, together with some
artichoke, and Lardo di Colonnata, the cured pork fat for its savoury and
aromatic taste. Mixed with Colatura dressing, a type of traditional Italian
fish sauce which was full of umami, and chives, it was full of delicious
flavours.
Continuing was Hamachi, the Japanese olive flounder was
thinly sliced and dressed in an appetizing and visually appealing mix of blood
orange, finger lime, and Banyuls vinegar. The acidity gave a wonderful vibrancy
to the dish, highlighting the flavours without masking the delicate taste of
the fish.
Next was Bluefin Tuna Carpaccio. The red lean meat of the
tuna had been nicely cut, seasoned with a bit of Calabrian chilli oil. Together
with confit tomato, tarragon, pearl onion, and chives, rolling them up with
tarragon and olives, the intense taste of the tuna was highly
enjoyable.
My second glass of wine picked was Alta Mora Etna Bianco
2023 ($168). Made from an indigenous grape in Sicily, this white wine is again
a very good match with seafood, showing fresh and fruity notes, great
minerality, with ripe apple, peach, white flowers, citrus, and ginger.
Moving to the hot dishes, the first one was Hokkaido Scallop.
The fresh and very tender scallop was perfectly baked on its shell with olive
oil and pesto, with some Sicilian pistachio on top, to give a nice nutty
fragrance and some crunchiness to the texture. A simple but very well executed
dish.
Then Chef Luca came to our table to introduce the Ma Yau
‘Alla Tuba’. The local threadfin was large, weighing more than 1.5kg. After
drying the skin for two days the chef grilled it over charcoal, to give a
crispness, while the flesh remained moist. The sauce was made using caper,
anchovy, and brown butter to give a creamy and sour taste to balance the fatty
fish.
Next came Amadai, with the chef using the Japanese
techniques of pouring hot oil on the scales of the tilefish, making them crispy
and edible. The fish was served in a rich and delicious bouillabaisse, full of
seafood flavours, together with saffron potato slices, and rouille, the
traditional spicy garlic sauce from Provence.
The last of the hot dishes was Spiny Lobster Tagliatelle. The
homemade pasta was al dente in texture, with some sweet lobster meat and tomato,
as well as local preserved lemon to make the sauce, providing a nice acidity. While
each individual pieces might not be big, the large variety of them made us feel
full and contented.
For dessert, we started with Coupe Colonel, a simple French
dessert with a scoop of lemon sorbet served in a chilled bowl, then the staff
came and adding vodka over it, asking me to tell him to stop for pouring. It
was a refreshing palate cleanser, with the combination a classic one, but I
probably would prefer to have gin instead of vodka.
The other one, Torta ‘Aurora’, was a light sponge cake, with
delicious, whipped cream and some fine crumble on top. Fluffy and not too
sweet, the cake was elegant, not feeling heavy or too indulgent after all the
food. A Petit Four of Orange Pate was provided to wrap up the meal.
Service was very good, with the staff friendly and
attentive, eager to help and explain the dishes. The bill on the night was
$2,516 which was very reasonable. Considering the overall dining experience and
food quality, it is of good value for money. If you like seafood this is a good
spot to enjoy a relaxing and fun evening.
