Our last visit to this Michelin restaurant was already five years ago, and today, on our wedding anniversary, we decided to return to experience once again the amazing cuisine from Chef Vicky Cheng and his team, with his Chinese x French philosophy which bridges Chef Vicky’s Chinese roots and his Western culinary training.
Arriving on time at The Wellington in Central, we are seated at the middle section of the familiar 25-seat marble counter along the length of the open kitchen. Apart from the counter seats, there are a few tables set up on one side, and another VIP room on the other to cater for larger party.
We go for 8 Course Menu ($2,280 each), with me opting for the Chinese wine pairing ($1,780) while my wife goes for Mocktail pairing ($580). I also have a glass of Diebolt-Vallois Prestige Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs ($280). Using only Chardonnay from the Grand Cru vineyards, it is refreshing, bone-dry crispness with nice floral notes to start the meal.
The first course includes two Snacks, of Savoury Selections. On a Parmesan tart there are crispy puff rice and chopped bak choy, to enjoy together with some salted fish mousse on the side. The concept comes from George Lam’s famous song, which Chef Vicky used to propose to his wife. A great story and wonderful starter.
The other snack is French Brioche Toast with Red Prawn. On the buttery brioche toast are the Mediterranean red prawn, which has nice sweetness and succulent texture, and glazed by some Sichuan peppers extract for a touch of spiciness. On the side is sabayon cream made from red prawn heads to enhance the savoury richness. Very delicious.
The wine paired for the next course is Tinnyu Winery 5PM Rose 2024, from Shangri-La in Yunnan. With the vineyards at a very high attitude at 2,300 to 2,800 metres, this rose wine is a blend of Blanc de Noirs of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, with plenty of light red fruit and minerality, good refreshing acidity.
The second course features Kristal Caviar. The beautiful black roe of the sturgeon is put on a Patchun vinegar jelly, on top of a creamy white dressing made from Taiwan water bamboo shoot, as well as some large, 9-year-old lily bulb from Lanzhou, with a drizzle of olive oil essences. The sauce has a delicate sweetness, matching well with the savoury of caviar.
The next wine is The Starting Point Winery Riesling 2022, from Helan Mountain, Ningxia. I have tasted this wine just recently and are impressed by its nice minerality and crispness, with good fruity notes and some petrol characters. A well-made wine.
The third course features Amberjack, with the sliced fish having nice fattiness and sandwiched with sliced persimmon. Inside are minced amberjack, mixed with diced 2-years preserved turnip to add some crunchiness. Underneath is pumpkin panna cotta, with diced pumpkin and pumpkin seeds, and stingy herb oil dressing for an herbal touch.
The third wine is The Dongqu Single Vintage 2007, from Shaoxing. This high-end yellow wine brand has become very popular recently, appearing in a lot of starred restaurants. And this vintage one comes from exceptional years; the wine has good acidity and a tangerine peel on the palate with its signature wooden notes. The sommelier also adds an ice cube infused with dried sour plum to balance and increase further complexity in flavours.
The fourth course features Sea Cucumber and is a dish I remember well from the last visit. The Hokkaido sea cucumber has a crispy surface but retaining its amazing bouncy texture. Stuffed with a nice tiger prawn patty, very tasty with great texture, a bit of the aged Shaoxing wine is sprayed on top for a bit of caramel and nuttiness aromas.
The fourth wine is United Winery Beyond Time Viognier 2024, from Helan Mountain in Ningxia. The wine is fragrant, with its varietal characters of perfume and floral highlighted well, with a full body of creamy texture, supporting the match of congee and the mushroom earthy tones very well.
The fifth course features Yunnan Mushroom, in a congee format. On the left is a white mushroom foam, while in the middle is Yunnan fresh morel which are stuffed with finely chopped mushroom. On the right are some shredded Yunnan termite mushroom prepared in confit, like preserved vegetables. Wrapping up at the bottom are the 20 years preserved turnip with deep, fantastic flavours.
To add more variety to the pairing, the sommelier also treated me a complimentary glass of Canaan Winery Chapter and Verse Sauvignon Blanc 2018, from Huailai, Hebei to pair with the congee. With maturity, it has a style reminiscent of Bordeaux white, smoky with green bell pepper, and herbaceous notes that are quite prominent.
The sixth wine is Legacy Peak Estate Chardonnay 2022, from Helan Mountain, Ningxia. Only 1,246 bottles are made from this single vineyard, and are all offered only in magnum size. Having aged in barrel for over 18 months, the style has a Bourgogne style, with elderflower, jasmine and citrus elegance. A good match with threadfin.
To transition to the main course, a sorbet made from Chinese hawthorn is served, to cleanse and freshen our palate, with its wonderful sweetness and acidity able to stimulate the appetite again for the main courses to come.
The sixth course features local Threadfin. Adding some black garlic shaves like black truffle, there are some cordyceps underneath the fatty fish fillet, which has a beautiful, caramelized surface and rich in fish oil. Together with gingko and some pickled wood-ear mushroom for contrast in texture, the fish sauce has some sand ginger to add its unique fragrance to the amazing flavours.
The seventh wine paired is another wine from Yunnan, a Cabernet Sauvignon XiaoLing Estate called RiMi, of vintage 2019. Grown in vineyards at an extreme altitude above 2,000m, this one has plenty of fruit, but more towards the red fruit of red cherry and cranberry, with more floral characters. Slightly chilled, it is a good match with abalone.
The seventh course features the 28 Head Dried Abalone. Inside the mouth-watering crust of the pithivier is a layer of spinach, wrapping the soft sweetbread, French ham, and the dried abalone, served with abalone sauce, which uses fish maw to thicken to the required effect. Even requiring a supplement of $1,680 it is well worth paying to experience.
Seeing how I am enjoying all the food, the staff asks whether I am full or have room for something extra. He duly arranges a Chicken Roll, with the crispy skin wrapping chicken thigh meat, together with a thin layer of cheese with enriched flavours. With carrot puree neatly presented, and a rich jus to go along, I am fortunate to get to try this as well.
To pair with the chicken roll, the sommelier has also arranged an additional wine, United Winery Beyond Time Marselan 2022, from Ningxia. From the same producer of the Viognier I had tasted earlier, this red wine is rich, with good black fruit, licorice and tea leaves, nice earthiness and gamey.
Coming to dessert, the sweet wine paired is Puchang Vineyard, Clovine Muscat 2015. Located in Tianshan Mountain Basin, the ‘fire pit’ of China, this Muscat Blanc has a ginger note, with white flowers, lemon, and some more sweet spice, with intense flavours because of its hot climate. Good to match the different desserts on the night.
The Sundae has a delicious sweet potato ice cream, dusted with some Parmesan cheese to create a mix of savoury and sweet flavours. Underneath are some chestnut puree and ginger juice jelly, all contributing to highlight authentic flavours and taste of the different ingredients to the best effect, recreating the traditional Chinese sweet potato sweet soup.
The other dessert features Black Truffle. Cutting a slice of the large pie, it has creamy soft soy sauce toffee fillings on a nice pie crust, with black truffle slices covering the top. There is also a rich and thick pear puree sauce on the side, with the delicate fruity notes balancing the more intense flavours of the pie to good effect.
Finally, the Mignardises has two interesting, sweet finales. The first is a glutinous rice ball sandwiched between crunchy caramel discs, with a great contrast of two different textures. The other is traditional candy & coconut wrap that we like during childhood, featuring durian or coconut ice cream. Great taste and recalling good memories.
Service is fantastic, with the staff very friendly, the sommelier knowledgeable, and the overall atmosphere impeccable. While the bill on the night is $10,032 and on the high side, considering the quality of food and wine, and the overall dining experience, I would rate this restaurant an Excellent 85 points. Must try.
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