Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - The Merchants 嘗申滙

Having had a couple of great experiences visiting this restaurant before, we decided to pick this one again to celebrate Christmas Eve, coming up to Forty-Five Gloucester Tower in Landmark. Specializing in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine, we have opted for the Hairy Crab Journey ($1,388 each) for the night.

The décor has not changed, offering a nice dining experience with cherrywood banquettes in the middle and tables on both sides. We are seated this time at a table on the window side, looking out to the gorgeous views of Central and Victoria Harbour. On the opposite side the wallpaper depicting traditional Chinese paintings are also beautifully done.

I have a bottle of Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aine Le Chevalier de Sterimberg 2019 ($1,620) to pair with the food. The Hermitage white is a blend of Marsanne and Roussanne, and has a nice flinty minerality, with plenty of ripe fruit including some pineapple, pear, white peach and melon. A full-bodied wine to match the food, it has an attractive palate. 

The first course is The Merchants Selection of Classic Appetizers, including three signature starters. Chilled Crystal Ham is nice with a bit of shredded ginger and vinegar. The chef has used pomfret to prepare Smoked Fish, so that we don’t need to worry about the small bones. And Braised Wheat Gluten has a rich taste and is not overly sweet.

The second course is Six-Tael Taihu Lake Hairy Crab. Serving in the traditional way by steaming, the crabs are of decent size, rich in crab roe. The restaurant also offers to help remove the meat on our behalf if we desire. A thoughtful approach for someone who do not want to get their hands dirty, but we are more into the fun of picking meat by ourselves.   

For the third course, we have changed to Shark’s Fin with Hairy Crab Roe for both ($488 additional) instead of the original tofu broth. The serving is generous, with plenty of shark’s fin and abundance mix of crab roe. It is also steaming hot for the best sensory enjoyment, delicious in taste, and after finishing one would be more than half-full already.

The fourth course is Stir-Fried Shrimp with Hairy Crab Roe. Another wonderful hot dish, the river shrimp have a nice, sweet taste, wonderfully bouncy in texture. The delicate taste is supplemented with the more intense crab roe but the two has good harmony in flavours, particularly when adding some Zhejiang vinegar. Not to be missed.

The fifth course is Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Hairy Crab Roe. The glass noodles have a chewy texture, picking up the intense umami flavours of the crab roe soup perfectly. There are also shredded bamboo shoots to provide a crunchy contrast in texture to the noodles. It is so good that I end up finishing all the soup as well.

To take a break of the crab roe, the sixth course is White Cabbage with Jinhua Ham. The white cabbage has been braised in a supreme broth, picking up a nice savoury taste on top of its original sweetness. With a few pieces of Chinese ham to add a touch of saltiness, it is another ‘simple’ dish but made with care to showcase amazing taste.

Another add-on we have is Stir-Fried Hairy Crab Roe with Clay Pot Rice ($1,388). The rice is served in a sizzling hot clay pot, and then the staff pours in the rich stir-fried crab roe, before mixing them well. Truly the highlight of the night in my opinion, the rice picks up all the flavours of the crab roe, and I cannot resist finishing every single grain.

The seventh course includes Xiao Long Bao infused with Hairy Crab Roe and Pan-Fried Juicy Pork Bun with Hairy Crab Roe. Both are fantastic dim sum I would order on its own, with the xiao long bao holding the delicious crab roe and minced pork with soup inside. The bun has a crispy bottom and bursts with the oil from the rich crab roe on the bite.

The eighth and final course is Glutinous Rice Dumplings in Warming Ginger Tea. To warm the stomach after having so much crab roe, the chef thoughtfully prepares the ginger tea, with pleasant, sweet spiciness, plus a couple of soft glutinous rice dumplings with sesame fillings. A filling and satisfying finale to a great feast of hairy crab.

Service is good but compared with the prior visits I feel the staff are not as welcoming as they were, without taking time connecting with us or explaining the food. The bill on the night is $7,562. Overall, the food still delivers our fond memories and expectation, and I would rate this restaurant an Excellent 83 points. Worth returning.