It was his big love to bring me here. Not focusing much on Spanish cuisine, I had actually heard nothing about this restaurant, until it became my birthday lunch place.
Located at one level above Isono from the same restaurant group, Vasco is a Spanish (with a little French fusion) fine-dining place by Drawing Concepts.
The reception shares the same as Isono, and servers will guide you through stairs to eventually a rooftop with a greenhouse-like setting, and guests are the one to be pampered at this place.
This natural and clean environment instantly transformed into a golden interior design with dark wooden floorings and antique furniture when we entered. We were brought to a sofa seat which was quite spacious, at least not locating us too close to the adjacent table.
Lunch menu could be ordered in 2, 3 or 4 courses ($349, $389 and $558 respectively, plus 10% SC)
**Good to have a glance at the lunch menu online as they changed the dishes every month*.
Sometimes you may get yourself indulged further by adding extra black truffle at $99 supplement, or a selection of cheese as a dessert at $49 supplement.
Vasco did have a very strong gastronomic sense in terms of the whole menu design. The ingredients could be so interestingly and creatively paired up, which you could never aware that their flavor profiles could that intriguingly match together. You would never be disappointed if you like something different.
Hors d'Oeuvres (5/5): What a nice start to have them kick start our tasting journey.
i)Jumbo green olive stuffed with Campari cream and olive caviarI am a big fan of green olives but it’s always hard to find big sized green olive in HK, only chance you could find is in GREAT or those that have been prepacked in jars.
The olive burst with a lot of juices and it went so well with the olive caviar which smoothened the mouthfeel. I couldn’t taste much of Campari though but I believe it did contributed to this juiciness somehow.
ii)Fish cracker with bell pepper sauce
A soso finger food but the cracker was crispy enough.
iii)Pickle with salmon roeSalmon roe was fresh to go with sweet pickles! Crunchy enough with sweet-and-sour.
iv)Curry infused caramelized pistachioManager highlighted this to us and explained that the nuts are intentionally packed in this small plastic bag for preventing from losing its special curry infused aroma. The bouquet was actually intense in the mouth with some caramelized flavors.
Amuse bouche (4/5): King Crab Meat, bell pepper, Black garlic ice cream and dried black garlic crunchesIt was our very first time to try the black garlic ice cream! Interestingly sour at first and with some toasted bread flavor, the black garlic did paired well with the juicy crab meat.
Pain (5/5): Very rarely would a fine-dining restaurant served only a single kind of bread. And I think Vasco did because they wanted to put their emphasis on their premium olive oil and butter.
Their homemade sourdough however was also deliciously right on the mark. Right when you tore a piece out, the steam came all over! It was really really that hot enough bread which you wouldn’t get it cold even when you finished.
Butter from Bordier: (From the left) Beetroot, Spinach, Tomato, Mushroom and Original salted Girls would always be impressed with colorful dish! I particularly love the tomato and mushroom flavor as their characteristic flavor were more pronounced and intense. The original salted butter was amazing too, it was really silky and soft when spreading at your hot sourdough.
Olive oil Brand (Origin): Flavor like (From the left) Oro Bailen (Spain): Green banana;
Mas Auró (Spain): Artichoke; Santa Oliva (Spain):Almond; Olivares del Derramador (Spain); Ripe tomato; Terre Bormane Citrino (Italy): 30% Lemon JuiceServers actually asked about our preference but we finally decided to have all five to try! All 5 olive oils did share one same attribute , they were all very complex in flavors yet so rich and elegant in bouquet.
I fell in love with Oro Bailen and Citrino. Both of them were of very strong flavor. Oro Bailen gave really grassy green banana taste; While the Citrino provided my first ever experience in tasting sour citrus olive oil. They were all so fresh.
Amuse bouche: Croissant with Iberico ham (4/5)The manager recommended so much to us that this croissant must be consumed hot. We got a bite and that enduringly umami smell of fatty ham exploded in our mouth. Croissant itself was soft, moist but with crispy layers. Fantastic.
Asparagus curd with Mediterranean prawns, crunchy sweetcorn
and a touch of spice (5/5)Have you tried Mediterranean sashimi? This was my very first time to try red prawn sashimi. The plate decoration was really enchanting and the prawns were like swimming in a special “white ocean” – the Asparagus curd. The prawn was incredibly sweet and fresh, I could say this has been the best prawn sashimi (if not counting Scampi in AUS) I ever tried. Topped with the asparagus curd, the sweetness between vegetable and fish just doubled together so harmoniously. A very nice tickle to appetite!
Fregola risotto style with sea urchin, mussels and crustacean mayonnaise (3.5/5)Fregola is a dot shaped pasta very common in North Africa, getting this special pasta cooked like risotto seemed interesting to us. The Fregola was slightly larger in size than we expected and was wrapped with reddish orange crustacean sauce. Mussels were small in size but juicy.
To me, cooking sea urchin could hardly give a very pronounced flavor as it is to be eaten fresh. This dish could not get over of this barrier because additionally the crustacean sauce was so muscular to cover other ingredients. It was a bit not easy to finish the dish.
Fresh strawberries with shiso sorbet and yoghurt sponge (5/5)I was very amazed by Vasco’s dessert creations with their inspiring and innovative ingredients. My another first trial to shiso sorbet also happened in Vasco. The sorbet gave a sense of sweetness like mint gum but at the same time brought forward the crispiness of Shiso. No doubt to be enjoyed in summer together with fresh strawberries and the fluffy yoghurt sponge. Very clean and refreshing to my palate indeed!
Petit-Four: Hazelnut powder candy, caramel chocolate and Financier (4/5)Out stomach were already so filled up when we finished the 3 courses (and all amuse bouche and breads). However, the petit four was just so beautiful that you could never resist it.
I was very much impressed with the hazelnut powder candy (wrapped in candy paper) as it was surprisingly creamy and infused with Nutella-like aroma which recalled so much my childhood memories.
Caramel chocolate was also smooth with moderate sweetness, while financier was a bit dry but eggy though.
The climax of the day arrived when server brought me a birthday card with my name written; and an instant camera to capture this sweet moment. So thankful that my boy brought me here and arranged this little surprise.
Finally for
Tea/Coffee, just knew that Vasco has a mixed Chamomile and Lavender tea. That was super super relaxing and lay-back when having a zip after this comprehensive lunch. Nice one :>
Service at Vasco was professional. Servers and Managers all around you are so humble and eager to help as always; they are also very experienced about the whole menu. I did enjoy the spacious setting in Vasco. There could actually be rooms for more tables but instead they make use of elegant furniture (and many are nice sofa) to setup each corner for best experience.
Just one thing that caused slight nuisance was the bumping noise whenever people walked on the wooden floor. Not sure but it was so obvious that I could always feel people coming back and forth.
To mention about “fine-dining”, I just keep one ruler to all:
From the start to the very end, every served items should show passion.
And I am so much impressed with this lunch because Vasco handles every detail carefully, from finger foods to butter; and from the furniture they used for dining and to the utensils they have prepared for you in washroom.
P.S. When browsing the webpage of Drawing Concepts, just recognized that one of the managers here was from my favorite restaurant in the past – Messina. Hope to meet him again in my next visit. :>
題外話/補充資料
Highly recommend to book a table rather than walk-in to ensure seat availability.
