彪哥海鮮菜館 (觀塘)

Date and time of dining: 9th January 2011; 1pm

Even on a weekend, during lunch hour, this restaurant was almost empty. I should not have doubted the quality of its food, however, since I soon learnt that it was of impressive quality.

砵酒焗生蠔This was extremely well done. I would say it even topped that at other well-known restaurants like 得龍. The sizes of the oysters were large, and the best thing was the strong taste of wine. It is rare that you get such a powerful scent of alcohol within the oysters themselves. The edges of the oysters were where the taste was exceptionally strong, and even these edges were easily chewable too, since the oysters were not overcooked. The sauce was, needless to say, extremely aromatic, as were the onions.

千葉豆腐I was pleasantly surprised by this dish. The tofu was not only incredibly smooth, but also had a strong bean taste. The knife work was skillful, so the tofu slices were all of equal thinness. The ingredients in the centre were varied and well flavoured, and did not cover the tofu’s bean taste. Presentation-wise and taste-wise, this dish deserved the prize it won.

脆奶拼大腸These deep-fried items were fresh and crispy, and not oily. The deep-fried milk was a bit of a surprise to me because it was of such a regular cuboid shape, rather than an irregular clump of coagulated milk.

栗子豬腳筋There was nothing amazing about this dish, and it was probably the least impressive one. However, the long pieces of tendons, which had probably been deep-fried first, had a nice chewy texture, and it was served sizzling in a clay pot, with a dark, rich savoury sauce. The chestnuts were unfortunately not of very good quality.

荷葉蒸鱔The piece of eel was small, but incredibly tasty with the sauce, which, from the slightly sour taste, I presume was a variation of plum sauce. The lotus leaf contributed a fragrant aroma and kept the fish extremely moist. The skin of the eel was also not overly fat and thick.

鹿筋薑醋凍I felt that this desert was pretty innovative. I had never eaten 薑醋 as a dessert before, and definitely not in jelly form. It was really bouncy, especially the tendons inside, but the fact that the tendons were from a deer did not really make much difference to me. There were also several chunks of ginger, which gave it an extra kick. The size of this dessert was pretty tiny though!

生磨杏汁This tasted very natural. It carried the slight bitter aftertaste that you get from freshly ground almonds. Though the almond taste was nevertheless quite weak, I prefer this natural flavouring more than that of artificial almond oil.

The food at this restaurant seemed to have improved since the last time I visited, about a year ago. I’m also glad to see it introducing more innovative items. It certainly seems to be on its way to winning more accolades and awards!

Amber (中環)

Date and time of dining: Sunday 19th December 2010; 1 – 4pm
Weekend wine lunch
Having tried Caprice, I’d always wanted to try Amber as well. On making a reservation, I found it slightly inconvenient that only a 6-course wine-pairing menu was offered for lunch on weekends, and the normal 3-course lunch was only available on weekdays. Anyhow, having opted for the weekend one, I looked forward to an extended, relaxing session of wining and dining.
First off, I was slightly disappointed with the menu, as the popular sea urchin appetizer was not on it that day. Plus, I found the variety of the courses a bit limited, with certain ingredients repeated often, like foie gras. This actually made it easier to choose which dishes to have for each course (choice of 1 out of 3 for each course, except for dessert), since we hoped to experience greater variation.
As per usual, after ordering, the bread basket was brought to us, with a choice of crispy bread, whole-wheat roll, French baguette, and olive bread. Though I ended up having tried all four by the end of the meal (some more than once), I most enjoyed the olive bread and the crispy one, albeit the latter was sometimes a bit burnt.
Amuse Bouches:
The selection of 3 bite-sized hors d’œuvre made a good start, though one was better than the others.
Foie gras lollipop with beetroot and ginger bread

This was the best – it not only looked appetizing, but the foie gras was of good quality and possessed a rich, gamey taste.
Pork croquette

This, on the other hand was less impressive - the interior was not refined enough and you couldn’t really taste what it was composed of. It was rather like an explosion of sauce once you bit into it – liquidy.
Chestnut panna cotta with pumpkin puree
This lacked the ingredients’ respective flavours, but was an innovative combination nonetheless.
Appetizer:
Duck foie gras with cranberry jelly and gingerbread

Compared with the lollipop version, this foie gras terrine was creamier in both taste and texture, and was without the same gamey taste. Though I preferred the foie gras in the lollipop, this was nevertheless enjoyable to eat with the piece of buttery toasted bread on the side, which I associated with brioche.
Unfortunately, I was foolish enough to eat one of the three pods of black pepper on its own, which caused me to gulp down much of my wine. Goes to show that each ingredient used by the chef, down to that speck of pepper, is of pretty good quality?
Middle course:
John Dory with bay leaves under the skin, and celeriac reduction
The last time I tried this type of fish was at Club Gascon in London – it had imprinted in me one of the most memorable, smooth and meaty textures of fish I had ever eaten (second to the cod, or Chilean sea bass at Hakkasan, London). I’m afraid the piece served here was no match, but was obviously skillfully prepared just the same. The bay leaves were aromatic and the celariac – how can you not love celeriac??? The beef jus was rich and intense as well.
Main course:
Oxtail with pasta

This came out a surprise, in a good way. By no means did it resemble its description in the menu, and I personally think it was way better than the description.
It looked like a garden, with a colourful and fresh appearance made up of various leaves and diced mangoes, and a mixture of different sauces. The best touch was the mint flavoured yogurt, which I thought gave a bit of an Indian flair (especially together with the mango).
The pasta encasing the oxtail was unexpectedly firm and chewy, with a great taste of egg, which I really appreciate. I could actually taste the egg pasta even alongside the intense, beefy flavour of the oxtail, which was impressive.
The beef jus, again, was superb, but was a repetition of that in the middle course, which I felt was not ideal. The oxtail, as I said, was richly flavoured, and also tender. However, you wouldn’t exactly be able to pinpoint it as being oxtail meat, since it was shredded. This texture matched the pasta well, though, and the whole composition of this dish, as a huge ravioli, was a delight for both one’s sight and palate. The portion of it was also more than adequate, and I was already filling up nicely by the time I was halfway through.
Desserts:
To be honest, I felt the inclusion of 3 desserts as part of the 6-courses was a bit cheeky, since they aren’t really separate ‘courses’ in my opinion. Besides, the dessert part at Caprice was pretty much composed of 3 desserts too, yet the meal was still regarded as a 3-course one. Anyway -
Coconut pannacotta with wild strawberries and fresh green tea ice-cream

The layered composition of this dessert is what I loved most, as it gave variety in a single glass. The fruit was uncommon, and complemented the coconut taste of the pannacotta well (yes, the coconut flavour was detectable, which made it better than the chestnut one in the amuse bouche). The green tea icecream – which was not green! – was sorbet-like, but rich in tea flavour. However, the tea taste was not entirely one of ‘green tea’, and could have been earl grey, or something, but I’m no tea-expert so I can’t really judge. On the whole it was enough that it was refreshing and brought out the tastes of the other ingredients well. As I said – a wonderfully layered dessert.

Menton lemon, chiboust in crispy cannelloni, with lime sorbet

This was my favourite dessert. The lime crème was not too sweet, but immensely refreshing, and the crispiness around it was heavenly. The tanginess of the sorbet also made it an effective palate cleanser, and the biscuit crumbs around it made a difference (little things count!). The cake-like piece under the chiboust, on the other hand, was slightly confusing, as I couldn’t really tell what it really was – was it really simply just cake?… and the thick jelly layer on top – some kind of agar perhaps? Anyhow, though not as tasty as the others, it provided two additional textures to the dessert, which is a worthwhile contribution.
Chocolate mousse with hazelnut and praline centre and lime sorbet


I regret not remembering the exact title of this dessert, since it was a delightful one to end with. The milk chocolate disc, though thin, was rich, and the hazelnut on top, though small, was bursting with nuttiness. I’m not a fan of mousse, but this cake was more than bearable, as it had a concentrated praline centre as well as a layer of sponge cake. This dessert was again, clearly, thoughtfully composed with layers. The lime sorbet was sadly a repetition of that in the previous dessert, and for me, this dessert would have improved with a different flavoured sorbet, such as raspberry.
Petit Fours:
These came after our hot lemon tea was served, and they did not lose out.
The best, for me, were the yuzu tarts. The crème was cold and smooth and as refreshing as the sorbets from the desserts, and the tart pastry, though mini-sized, was enough to let me taste buttery pastry.
Others worth mentioning are the passion fruit flavoured caramels (great passion fruit taste), and the coconut flakes. Served on a 3 layered stand, the petit fours had great variety, and I felt obliged to try each and every one.

The whole meal was evenly paced, with none of the courses arriving too early or too late. Service was also impeccable (slight hitch when one of the waitresses mistakenly introduced a lime based dessert as being pineapple based). Atmosphere was, not to mention, superb, but perhaps it’s lacking a good view, and sunshine! – understandably unavoidable at only 7 floors above ground.
Lastly, I’m not fully rehearsed in wine tasting, so I haven’t commented on the wine-pairing aspect of the meal (a major aspect, of course!), but wine really does gets one talking and gossiping, making lunch all the merrier by punctuating it with additional small surprises here and there.
And wait – what about the comparison with Caprice, which many people are often interested about? Don’t bother – try both. You may conclude that one’s better than the other, but both are worth trying. I wouldn’t argue against a return visit to either one of them. Objections, anyone?

baby Mon cher (銅鑼灣)

First visit as I was curious to try the infamous 堂島卷.  But I found myself more attracted to the happy pouch, and I'm glad I bought it too, and not only because 2 items warranted a box - I actually found it more satisfying than the roll.  Surprisingly, the cream inside seened even more delicious, which left me wondering whether it's actually the same cream as in the roll, and was just tainted by the addition of the custardy sauce, or was it altogether a different (and in my opinion, better) cream?  I particularly enjoyed the combination of different textures of the thin pancakey exterior, thick cream and rich cheesecake.  It was indeed a very happy pouch.

Oliver's Super Sandwiches (金鐘)

smoked salmon salad baked potato:As you may note from the photo, there was a generous amount of topping.  But, I would perhaps more accurately describe it as salad dressing, with small bits of smoked salmon taunting me in a find-me-if-you-can!-game.  It was a challenging game.

cajun chicken baked potato:Contrastingly from the above smoked salmon salad baked potato, which was literally invisible under the overflowing salad dressing, this baked potato could do with more topping, especially more pieces of chicken.  And if the cajun flavour was playing the same find-me-if-you-can!-game, I totally lost.  I could not detect it at all, but just a somewhat musky, slightly sour flavour.

On the other hand, if you're just looking to fill up your stomach with a quick lunch, they'll do.

School Food (銅鑼灣)

I'm not saying this place is bad, but is it really worth the long wait?
烏卒卒
In my opinion, there’s a reason why this is named after its colour and not its taste – although I could see the squid ink, I could not taste it. All it was, really, was a black looking maki that was somewhat crunchy.
醬菜牛油鐵鍋飯
Although this was served in a pan, there was a complete lack of sizzle, and the rice was actually merely luke warm, to my huge disappointment. It was also swimming in oil, that wasn’t even rich in butter taste. The kimchi wasn’t the normal cabbage type, but consisted of crunchy strands, but did not hide the fact that the overall taste was just “as expected” i.e. the same taste you get whenever you mix kimchi with anything.
廚師卡邦尼年糕
This was actually the best. It was even hotter than the rice and the sauce was rich and savory.
校園花卷
The beef was nicely flavoured but was inadequate, being the only filling. The egg wrapped around each roll was a bit flimsy and the rolls were a bit loose, giving the impression they were casually and uncaringly prepared.

The mediocre quality of each dish made me wonder why I waited so long for a table and why others do too.