Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Mezzo

This American Italian restaurant is located in Regal Kowloon Hotel, and like the hotel itself the restaurant might seem a bit dated when you arrive, with the setting and environments not exactly present you a high-end setting. However, I found the food was truly classic and the flavors were one that I could relate clearly with the cooking lessons I took all these years under my respected teacher.

Instead of ordering the set menu we went for a la carte. For starter we had Garlic Chili Prawns Salad with Mango Avocado Salsa ($248). The portion was very big and good for maybe four persons, with everything fresh and beautifully seasoned. Although the presentation might not be particularly interesting, it was one of those no-frill dishes I like very much which honestly and truthfully highlighted the original taste of each ingredient clearly. It was a great start for me.

The other started was Maryland Crab Cake with Fresh Dill Cucumber Yoghurt ($278). Again a classic dish, the crab cake was big in size, coated with bread crumbs and deep-fried nicely to golden brown, with plenty of crab meat fillings. The yoghurt sauce on top gave a bit of acidity to freshen up the crab cake, and the dill cucumber not only showing a contrast in colour but also an element of elegance. The crab cake was one of the best I had in town.

Next we had the soup, Lobster Bisque with Cognac ($118). It was a real bomb of flavors, with a sip essentially creating an explosion of taste in your mouth. It was very rich, with a nice brandy 'kick' which was how this soup was supposed to be made too, once again reminding me of the good times I studied how this soup was made. Another great dish in my opinion.

As an Italian restaurant one must try its pasta or pizza to see how good it was. So we also ordered the Mezzo Signature Pizza ($108). There are two sizes and we opted for the smaller one. There are chili beef, salami, pepperoni, olive, green bell pepper, onion and mushroom. The crust was crispy, with plenty of signature toppings offering complementary flavors to each other. A really nice pizza.

The other main course we ordered was Stone-grilled Spanish Duroc Pork Chop with Homemade Apple Sauce ($318). The pork chop was grilled and put in oven, with the thick pork chop cooked perfectly, while retaining the juice inside. The homemade apple sauce was very good also, and to me is the all-time best complement to pork chop. With some grilled vegetable and potato chips on the side, it was another wonderful dish.

We originally wanted to order two desserts but the staff advised us of the big portion so ended up getting just the Classic Tiramisu ($88) and fortunately so, as that was truly quite generous in size. Again demonstrating the original style and flavors, it was great in taste, with mascarpone cheese and rum featuring in profound manner, and one could call them out even if eating it blindfolded.

The service was not bad but compared with the great food I think there are obvious room for improvement. And it was important also for them to come explain each of the dish but unfortunately the staff did not do such. The total bill was $1,276 after a 10% credit card discount, and I would say it was good value for money. If you are a big fan of classic recipe and traditional flavors, this is a hidden gem which I really recommend.

Pumpkin Rice en Casserole

Ingredients (for 4):

• Long rice - 280 g
• Chicken stock - 450 g
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Butter - 1 tbsp
• Pumpkin - 280 g
• Onion - 120 g
• Garlic - 1 tsp
• White wine - 1 tbsp
• Parmesan cheese - 1 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Cut the pumpkin into dices.

2. Wash the long rice and drip dry, then cook with chicken stock. Season with salt.

3. Use another pan to cook the onion finely with butter, then add garlic.

4. Add the pumpkin dices to continue to cook for a while.

5. When the rice is nearly done, put the pumpkin into the casserole to continue to cook under low heat.

6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving. 

Seafood Lobster Sauce

Ingredients (for 4):

• Prawn - 12
• Fish meat - 8 pieces
• Squid - 8 
• Mussels - 8
• Sliced onion - 120 g
• Sliced mushroom - 60 g
• Garlic - 1 tsp
• Butter - 1 tbsp
• White wine - 1 tbsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Lobster sauce - 600 g

Procedures:

1. Blanch the onion in hot water for a short while, then remove and drip dry.

2. Cut the fish steak into several pieces.

3. Blanch the seafood in hot water to half cooked.

4. Cook the onion with butter for a while, then add in the garlic.

5. Add the seafood and sprinkle with white wine.

6. Add the lobster sauce to continue to cook, then season with salt and white pepper powder.

Lobster Sauce

Ingredients (for 4):

• Fish stock - 450 g
• Shrimps - 340 g
• Crabs - 340 g
• Tomato wedges - 120 g
• Mixed vegetable - 240 g
• Flour - 120 g
• Tomato paste - 60 g
• Butter - 120 g
• Garlic - 1 tsp
• Basil - 1 tsp
• Thyme - 1 tsp
• Brandy - 1 tbsp
• Salt - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Whipping cream - 60 g

Procedures:

1. Bake the shrimps and crabs.

2. Cook the mixed vegetable with butter.

3. Add the herbs when the vegetables are fragrant.

4. Add flour in and continue to cook.

5. Add tomato paste and brandy. Then add fish stock and the shrimp and crab.

6. Continue to cook for 1.5 hours under low heat, then sieve and filter.

7. Season with salt and white pepper powder, then add the cream and mix well.

Clear Quail Soup with Soft Egg

Ingredients (for 4):

• Chicken bones - 1
• Mixed vegetable - 75 g
• Cloves - 4 
• Bay leaf - 3
• Black pepper corns - 6 
• Tomato wedges - 60 g
• Parsley sprigs - 2
• Tarragon - 1.5 tsp
• Egg white - 2 
• Water - 1 litre
• Celery shredded - 30 g
• Leek shredded - 15 g
• Carrot shredded - 60 g
• Poached quail egg - 4

Procedures:

1. Clean the chicken bones and break into smaller pieces. Then put into the pot.

2. Mix the vegetables and other ingredients, then add to the pot.

3. Add water and egg white to boil for 2 hours.

4. Sieve and filter through a clean cloth, then season with salt and white pepper powder.

5. Blanch the celery, leek and carrot shreds.

6. Poach the quail eggs.

7. Serve with the vegetable shreds on the bottom, put the quail egg on top, then pour in the boiling soup.

Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Ten Yoshi

This tempura restaurant is located in Henry House, Causeway Bay, and the reason for coming was bit unplanned. Originally having booked Sushi Hiro but upon arriving the staff told us they could not find our booking. In the end they offered to put us on the restaurant one floor below, as it was of the same group and we could still order the same menu.

Feeling a bit upset, we obliged and was seated in Ten Yoshi, and after looking at the decor and menu I found it was specialized in tempura instead. So decided to switch to having that instead of the sushi. The decor was decent, with us seated at the counter and able to see the chef in action, which is always my preference when visiting a Japanese restaurant.

The omakase menu ($1,100) included a number of premium seafood, with the chef coming over to show us, checking whether we had any concern on them before proceeding on the cooking. I like this approach as it made us clear on what we were going to eat in advance and able to alert the chef of anything we don't like or allergic.

The appetizers include a Black Sesame Pudding which had rich flavors. There were some ginger mash on top to add the fragrance, plus a few marinated salmon roes to supplement with savory. A good start. The other appetizer was Poached River Snail. The flesh was tender and not rubbery, with the mirin sauce giving a nice umami flavor.

Then we were served some Edamame Beans. The beans were nicely seasoned with salt and would be a good companion for beer or sake. Unfortunately I was driving this evening so I could not have any alcoholic beverages and missing that great pairing.

Next was the Clear Soup with Seafood. It was highly flavorful, with a delicate taste which was superbly enhanced by squeezing a few drops of lime juice in. The shrimp, fish, mushroom, chive and ginkgo further contributed to the complex taste of the soup.

The sashimi coming next was White Fish, but I did not ask for exactly what type of fish they were. They were cut very thin so essentially was translucent. With a nice bite, the sashimi was eaten not with the traditional soy sauce and wasabi, but vinegar sauce. It was well received by us and the feast of presentation, texture and delicate taste was appealing.

Then we began the different tempura pieces, starting off with the Prawn. Deep-fried perfectly, the tempura was not oily at all, as evidenced from the piece of paper used to hold the tempura having virtually no oil stain when the tempura was put on top. Even the head of the prawn could be eaten, after deep frying it.

The second tempura was Fish. While again not able to ask the type of fish, but it did look like a small red mullet. The flesh was light and delicate, and was another great ingredient for the tempura.

The third tempura was Lily Bulb, skewered together before going for the deep-fry. The lily bulb did not have much taste, but after dipping in the tempura sauce there was a surprise fragrance and sweetness.

The fourth tempura was Abalone. I think the flesh was a bit over-cooked and thus making it a bit rubbery, though nothing like being too tough to bite and swallow.

Then came my favorite on the night, the Grilled Saury. Right in the best time of year to have this fish, its size was big and while it might seem a bit charred on the skin, in my opinion it was perfectly grilled, with the skin having a bit of crispy. The flesh was just phenomenal, really strong in its original taste

Next was the Milt Tempura. We had experienced milt in many restaurants before but most were prepared by lightly blanching. It was the first time we had it deep-fried in tempura style. Interestingly on texture, while on the outside it was crisp, the interior was really silky, providing a great culinary experience.

The one following was again rather special, The mini-onion was cut in halves and then deep-fried, and while having to be careful because the inside was very hot, the onion had a nice sweetness and a bit of crunchy texture.

Then there was the Nanban dish, which got some small fish and a piece of pumpkin. The vinegar sauce had a nice acidity to make the dish refreshing and also acting as a cleansing intermediary. The fish was deep fried and crispy also.

Next was something special as well. Wrapped by a piece of seaweed, the sea urchin was prepared using the tempura style, creating an interesting culinary enjoyment of a crispy exterior and an soft interior. While I would still prefer eating them raw, this is a nice alternative and I applauded the creativity of the chef in creating this tempura.

With two tempura outstanding, we were already quite full. Then came the Maitake Tempura. Again this one was good, with the mushroom moist and tasty after dipping in the tempura sauce.

Before the last course the chef gave us a Tomato 'salad' to remove the oily sensation, with the plump tomato having nice sweetness and acidity balance. The chef also had meticulously cut the tomato into sections to facilitate eating.

Last of the tempura was Chestnut Tempura. The chestnut was also in season, giving a very sweet taste. It was a good finale to the tempura dishes, though it was not the end of the meal.

The next was the Hokkaido Oysters. Very big in size, though I had to say such big oysers were not my favorite. However it was creamy and if you like the fishy note of such this one would be a good dish for you.

With a choice of three ways to prepare the rice, the chef asked us whether we would prefer 'normal rice', noodle or rice with tea. Going for the normal rice, the shrimp cake the chef had prepared was truly nice, with a lot of shrimp meat but everything done in grat harmony. Another of my favorite in the evening.

The dessert was the Melon, which was sweet, juicy and tasty. Both me and my wife had finished essentially everything. And it was a great finale to the good dinner we had in the evening.

The total bill  was $2,242 and we did not order any beverages. While we was not planning to come here, it was a nice coincidence for us to experience this good tempura restaurant in town.