Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Rex Wine & Grill

This steakhouse is in Central, at the basement of One Chinachem, a very prime location right in the centre of the busy commercial hub of Hong Kong. Walking down the flight of steps from Des Voeux Road Central, the mini-neon light shows the way to the main dining area.

The space has a refined, luxury vibe with dark mahogany floor, plenty of wood and copper decorations, and brandy-coloured spherical lightings. Seated on the curved leather booth at the back we can command a holistic view of the restaurant, with the bar at the other end.

I started with Cadoret ‘Perle Noire’ N3 Oyster ($158 for 3 pieces). These French oysters came from Brittany, with a nice briny note and a sweet aftertaste, having also a creamy texture. Paired with mignonette sauce and lemon, a refreshing and nice starter for the meal.

Next, we have Datterino Tomato ($148). These small plum tomatoes come from France, with its elongated shape resembling a date. The deep flavours are very pleasant, nicely paired with the creamy smoked stracciatella cheese, and dressed with pesto sauce blended with mint and shiso, tomato consommé jelly, and 15-year Italian balsamic vinegar.

The other appetizer we have is Spanner Crab Salad ($228). Beneath the sliced avocado are the delicate Australia spanner crab meat, on top of some finely chopped cucumber, green apple, and dill, further dressed in cucumber juice. The dish is very refreshing and delicious.

For the main course, we have opted for Flathead Lobster Donabe Rice ($458). A fusion dish, the chef charcoal-grilled the Australian flathead lobster meat to put on top of a leek puree, then used the head and miso to prepare a lobster bisque, drizzled with a bit of leek oil. On the side are the donabe rice cooked with kombu and fish stock, with some Japanese pickles on top. The rice is then mixed to the lobster bisque to enjoy together. Wonderful in taste.

The other main course is Coffee Crusted Wild Venison Loin ($698). The UK venison is cooked to the perfect medium rare, tender and juicy while not too gamy, exhibiting rich flavours and a nice aftertaste from the coffee crust. The venison is my favourite red meat as it is lean yet highly flavourful. Paired with a blackberry and juniper jus, on the side is celeriac mille-feuille and puree, with also some deep-fried kale.  

For dessert we have Crepes Suzette ($328 for two). The crepes are prepared table-side, with the staff heating the sugar to caramelize before adding plenty of butter to create the beurre Suzette, then adding orange zest, orange juice, Grand Marnier, and brandy, before flambeed it to remove the alcohol. The crepes are then cooked in the sauce to absorb, before serving with a vanilla ice cream on top. The mixture of hot and cold, and the intense flavours are phenomenal. It is a theatrical treat also.

Service is very good, especially how they helped us to split the dishes when serving, so we do not need to do that on the table. The food is overall very delicious and of good quality, decent in price, with the bill on the night is $2,559 including two mocktails. However, it is sad to see that we are the only table, and this severe winter for local dining industry is very worrying. I hope everyone can continue to support good restaurants so they can survive and be prosperous again.