Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - VOON

Having visited his restaurant in Wanchai a few years ago, and knowing he has recently re-opened in Kennedy Town, today we came to Forbes Street, to Chef Edward Voon’s new venture VOON, to once again experience his magic in integrating Asian culinary traditions and flavours with Western techniques. 

Stepping into the restaurant the first section is a retail shop offering many of Chef Voon’s artisanal delights. Moving into the dining area, it is a small space, with only a few tables, but everything is very neatly designed and put together, offering a comfortable and cozy ambience for customers. Although quite early, the restaurant was already packed.

We have opted for Voon’s Favourite Tasting Menu ($588 each). After a welcome drink, the ‘Ngo Hiong’ Chicken Wings is served. Removing the bone in the wing, some minced pork and shrimp are stuffed back inside, before grilling over charcoal, sprinkled with Chinese five spices. The skin is crispy and fragrant from the spices, with the chicken wing tender and flavourful. Excellent starter.  

The second course is Hamachi, with the raw Japanese amberjack served in an Asian cucumber bouillon dressing, to give a nice acidity to the fish. At the same time, Chef Voon has added some aged vinegar jelly to add a syrupy and complex taste. Having plenty of coriander on top, it brings another touch of Asian flavours to the dish, of perfect and harmonious match.

Next course comes with two options. My wife has chosen Basil Pork Chili Macaroni Au Gratin. The macaroni is served in an iron bowl to retain the temperature, keeping the Comte cheese melting and gooey. Taking a twist of the traditional recipe though, inside the macaroni, the stir-fried basil and pork combination is a tribute to the Thai cuisine, with the spring onion adding extra fragrance. 

I have Button Mushroom Soup instead. Using plenty of mushroom to prepare the broth, they are then blended into a creamy and thick soup, with a thin layer of milk foam on top, as well as a drizzle of olive oil. The chef has also added some braised abalone mushroom to give a bite to the soup, very good indeed.

For the pasta, we both opted for Laksa Prawn Linguine. Leveraging the flavours of his home, Chef Voon prepared a Laksa coconut sauce to cook with the homemade linguine, which has wonderful al dente texture. With a bit of spiciness, rich coconut taste, some nice bouncy prawns and the famous Ipoh bean sprouts together, no wonder this remains a signature of the restaurant since the start. 

Coming to the main course, my wife has Amadai. The tilefish is prepared using the Japanese technique of pouring hot oil on the scales, making them crispy and edible, while keeping the flesh moist and tender. The fish is served in ‘Suan Cai Yu’ style, with mustard green velouté having the sourness and spiciness to make it highly appetizing, as well as retaining the creamy and rich of the classic roux. 

For me, I have Coffee Pork Rack. Coated with a thin layer of coffee crust, the pork is beautifully seared, juicy and not over-cooked. With pineapple chutney on the side, and a rich and delicious mustard dill sauce, there are also some broccolini to accompany the meat. Both the main courses are equally good, and there are also pigeon and beef to choose from in case you fancy those more.

But the spotlight on the night must be our pre-ordered Voon Roasted Whole Three Yellow Chicken ($768). Seeing the golden-brown chicken got my mouth watering, with its skin roasted to nice crispness, while the chicken meat was tender and very juicy. Marinated well and great in taste, stuffed inside the chicken were rice, which fully absorbed the essences and was simply phenomenal. I highly recommend ordering this, even if you cannot finish, just bring home any leftovers and reheat the next day, it is still very good.

For dessert, we both had Pandan Crème Brulee, Taking the recipe of the classic dessert, Chef Voon had inserted his Singaporean root by having the extracts of the pandan leaves to the crème brulee, and added a homemade coconut ice-cream on top, before drizzling caramel on it. Sweet but not over-indulgent, it is a good finale to a wonderful meal. 

Service was good, though the staff was a bit short-handed, with the full house and having to look after the retail shop. The bill on the night was $2,138. Considering the food quality and overall dining experience, I would rate this restaurant an Excellent 80 points, certainly worth returning, and the roasted whole chicken is a must order.