You will love stinky tofu after trying theirs

PeterChoy 等级4 2025-02-05

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Since my last visit two years ago I have been looking for the next occasion to return and savour again their wonderful and creative cuisine, but it is getting so difficult to book that I almost gave up. A few weeks ago, seeing an available spot online, I immediately grasped the opportunity. And so, at the beginning of 2025, I come to The Wellington in Central, with a lot of anticipation on what Chef Cheng and his team has prepared.Seated at the same table last time, there is no change in the décor, with the space offering a cozy, neat and comfortable ambience. I have pre-ordered the Premium Tasting Menu ($2,980 each) but also adds two other optional items, as well as going for the Premium 6-glass wine pairing ($2,780).As the Winter Solstice was only two weeks prior, Chef Cheng has prepared a Housemade Snow Fungus and Fig Tea as welcome drink to sooth the throat against the dry and cold weather. With a tiny bit of sweetness, the tea is delicate and smooth. 雪耳无花果茶The first wine served to pair with the four appetizers is Krug Grande Cuvee 172eme Edition. The base vintage of this champagne is 2019, with a beautiful golden colour and consistent fine bubbles, showing a crisp floral, citrus and hints of gingerbread on the nose, and nice hazelnut, brioche and honey on the palate.The first of the four starters is 蛏子配云南皱皮椒及海茸 featuring Razor Clams, thinly sliced which looks a bit like garlic pieces. On top of the crunchy razor clams are the shredded Yunnan Chili which provides a bit of spicy kick, as well as Bull Kelp, a type of seaweed with a nice bite and adds umami to the dish. The second one is 香辣日本蚝伴自制黄金皮蛋, a rather unique combination. Featuring the signature Golden Crystal Egg, the housemade century egg, the chef has added Chili Japanese Oyster, with the creamy oyster marinated in housemade chili oil to give a kick and also balance the briny flavours of oyster. A stimulating starter to excite the palate. The third one 烟熏酸汁茄子 is a piece of art. The Smoked Eggplant is prepared using applewood to give a nice fragrance, cut into strips and then intertwined together beautifully like a braid. With a Housemade Sour Sauce on top to season, the acidity is appetizing, and the eggplant is soft and pleasant in taste. The fourth one is Drunken Kuruma Prawn 醉花竹虾, with the very large tiger prawn marinated in 20-year Chinese Huatiao wine, allowing the rich and fragrant aromas to seep into the body of the prawn, but not getting too bitter to affect its sweet taste. A good example of how the chef has mastered the timing and strength of the marinade. To enjoy more the delicious housemade chili oil, the restaurant has thoughtfully arranged a small bunch of Cold Noodles for us. The texture is very al dente, with the slight kick of the spiciness enough to excite but not overpowering the palate, and the portion is not too filling as well.The second wine is Domaine Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos de la Pucelle 2017. A monopole just adjacent to the two grand cru Batard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet, this wine has a complex aroma, with a bit more honeysuckle on top of the elegance. The fuller body also matches well with the stinky tofu.One of the additional dishes I pre-ordered is Stinky Tofu Tiger Prawn Toast 臭豆腐虎虾多士 ($180). Stinky tofu, a local traditional snack, is rarely seen nowadays. Here the bouncy prawn patty is stuffed into the tofu before deep-frying, and provided on the side are the chili bean sauce, with the taste adjusted by Chef Cheng, and Chinese sweet sauce, the two perfect companion to go with stinky tofu. The crunchy surface and delicious taste are truly memorable. A must-order in my opinion. Next comes the Hot and Sour Soup 檬香山瑞裙边酸辣汤. The traditional Shanghai style soup has some fresh crab meat to give a delicate sweetness, with the crunchy Soft-Shell Turtle skirts to add to the texture. The staff then takes the locally grown perfume lemon and shaves some Lemon Zest on top to add a refreshing aroma. The soup is very flavourful, of the appropriate thickness, and having the right balance of spiciness and acidity. Perfect in all scores. The third wine is Egon-Muller Scharzhofberger Spatlese 2021 from Mosel in Germany. The slightly sweet Riesling has intense flavours to match well with the stronger taste of the threadfin, while still having good acidity to make the wine refreshing. The sommelier also prepares the wine slightly warmer in order not to highlight any fishy notes.Coming to the main courses, the first one 陈皮豆豉蒸马友 highlights the seasonal local Threadfin Ma Yau, with the chef picking only the largest ones, weighing over 12 catties. After steaming the fish fillet, some shredded spring onion, leek, and coriander are put on top. The sauce on the bottom is made using Mandarin Peel aged over 20 years, mixed with Fermented Black Bean, bringing a wonderful fragrance and savoury flavours to add to the delicious fish. The fourth wine is Anne & Jean-Francois Ganevat Chateau Chalon 2016 from Jura in France. This vin jaune wine is made from Savagnin, with the unique oxidative ageing aromas reminded me a bit of the Chinese Huatiao, but with better acidity. A great companion to pair with crab dishes.Next comes Fragrant Chili Alaskan King Crab 香辣阿拉斯加皇帝蟹配煎肠粉. The meaty king crab leg is steamed with garlic to serve, and then some crab meat is used to prepare a slightly spicy sauce, assembled together with pan-fried Crispy Cheung Fun, with the rice noodle taking the flavours of the sauce and in my opinion tastes even better than the crab meat. The fifth wine is Domaine des Perdrix Echezeaux Grand Cru 2019. A beautiful ruby red colour, the wine has nice red fruit aromas of strawberry and cherries, with some spiciness reminding me of mint and liquorice, with a mellow tannin. A great pairing as I think it is tricky to match with sea cucumber spring roll. But this Pinot Noir has able to enrich the umami flavours successfully.Before the next course the staff brings the Australia Sea Cucumber to show us the original shape before its lengthy 7-day soaking process. Then comes the large beautiful golden-brown Spring Roll 葱烧婆参春卷, where the staff helps to cut in half for us. Inside the crispy spring roll is the braised whole sea cucumber, glueing, thick and seasoned well. Underneath is some grilled Spring Onion together with a delicious sauce. The sixth and last wine is Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle 1999. This wine is ex-domaine and only released for two years, with good freshness despite its old age, showing nice black fruit, leather and pepper, which goes well with the pigeon.Then it is another signature of the restaurant 烟熏蔗汁乳鸽. Upon opening the lid the smoke seeps out, showing the Baby Pigeon which has been marinated for three days, with the chef brushing some Sugarcane juice on the skin to give a bit of sweetness and colour, before smoking it over sugarcane with nice fragrance. The pigeon is juicy and tender, rich in flavours and finger-licking good in taste. The other optional dish I have added is Stuffed Fresh Oyster 姜葱炒金蚝酿鲜蚝煲 ($200). Served in a sizzling hot Pot, a Semi-Dried Oyster is stuffed inside the fresh oyster, to allow the richer taste of the semi-dried oyster to integrate with the softer fresh oyster. Together with plenty of Spring Onion and Ginger, it is great in smell and taste. Another must-try. Even the vegetable has a thoughtful twist. The Stir-Fry Baby Mustard Green 咸白肉炒芥菜苗 has been added with some housemade Salted Pork, which has marinated for one month. We are suggested to eat the salted pork first, to coat the delicious savoury taste in the mouth, before eating mustard green, giving a nice fragrance and flavours to season the vegetable, which is young and tender, without any tough fibre on the bite. The last one before dessert is Sliced Dried Abalone Chicken Soup Noodle 干鲍丝浓鸡汤面. The chicken soup is very rich, with the noodle al dente in texture. With the shredded spring onion whites and the dried abalone to add to fragrance and a savoury taste, it brings the whole noodle to another level of satisfaction. Very delicious and helps to fill the stomach.Before dessert the staff brings a cart to us, introducing the different fruit on the day, reminding me how we have similar service for cheese in a French restaurant. The three fruit we have on the day includes Thailand Ruby Pomelo, which are very sweet and juicy; Guangxi Mandarin, which can be eaten with the crunchy skin; and the Japanese Pear which is very sweet. The fruit can also be encored if desired.For dessert, it is a premium Bird’s Nest Bean Curd Sweet Soup 燕窝银杏腐竹露. Appropriate in sweetness, there is a generous amount of bird’s nest, with also almond tofu in the soup, as well as Gingko Nut, giving a bit more contrast in texture and health benefits to the dessert. The Mignardises 餐后茶点 include Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Cake and Salted Egg Custard Donut. Both of the snacks are very delicious, not too sweet. The donut has a soft dough with the salted egg custard filling very creative and tasty. The rice cake is equally delicious with the sesame fragrant and rich. A very contented finale to a fantastic meal. Service is very good, with the staff friendly and attentive, eager to explain each of the course and wine pairing in details, as well as the background of the restaurant and the story of Chef Cheng. The bill on the night is $10,741 and even though it is not cheap, I would say every penny is worthy, with the quality of the food and wine impeccable. No wonder it is one of the most difficult restaurants to book nowadays. 继续阅读