Vasco Spanish Fine Dining (已結業)

到了正日生日，从甜魔妈妈口中得知位于中环 PMQ 的 Vasco快将结业，那里的午市套餐非常抵吃，而且食物水准上乘，临别秋波，于是便相约我的 best friend，妈妈及阿P一齐食番个 B day Lunch!!PMQ是香港难得的艺术性质商场，除了大品牌外，这栋文物也卧虎藏龙了不少本地设计师，大家有时间也要多来逛逛啊！Vasco 的装修、服务、食物质素都非常有水准，午市套餐价钱亦比晚市经济很多。2 course menu $349，3 course menu $389，仲有一大堆免费的餐前小食及餐后甜品赠送，实在是物超所值，只可惜只营业到4月30日。这𥚃的头盘、主菜以及甜品都提供三个选择，我们一行四人当然将所有菜色都试哂，在此逐一向大家介绍这里的餐前小食也绝不马虎，服务员建议我们先吃那颗橄榄，然后再吃脆米，最后才吃蕃薯片。老实说味道中规中矩，难得的是，只需付上午餐的价钱，餐厅也做得这么精致。这里的另一卖点便是用来伴 table bread 的橄榄油，有多达五款给食客选择，贪新鲜的我们当然来一个 all-in，逐一试清楚味道。清香的柠檬味及草青味橄榄油最受大家欢迎，香蕉味及苹果味感觉上有点奇怪，蕃茄味亦不错。比橄榄油更抢镜的，便是这里的 Table bread，两款都外脆内软。Vasco 除咗橄榄油讲究外，牛油也款式多多，传统的牛油加了一些海草精华，还有口味独特的黑蒜牛油。头盘当中，最出色一定是妈妈的 artichoke soft cream with quail egg，流心的鹌鹑蛋与雅支竹忌帘芝士廉汁味道非常配合，是一道令人窝心的前菜。中间的和牛牛尾内混了一些洋葱、青柠及酸青瓜，口感清新，我只略嫌牛肉有一点鞋口，但菜式的摆碟设计确实非常漂亮。最后的 yellow tail ceviche 是最令人失望的菜色，白身鱼有点腥，配金橘及酸酸的牛油果酱，我们都嫌整体上味道太acidic。artichoke soft cream with quail eggcompressed wagyu oxtailyellow tail ceviche 吃主菜之前，来了一杯青瓜汁，内里藏了一只嫩滑的蚬肉，清新怡人的配搭，亦不俗。主菜整体上都令人满意，妈妈的 Norwegian Cod Fish 火候煎得好好，鱼肉超级嫰，只可惜鱼肉略欠鲜味。右手边的 Braised Pork Cheek 没有牛面肉般油腻，有弹性，阿P非常满意。主菜中最出色的一定是这里的龙虾risotto，卖相亦非常别致，橙红色的龙虾饭放在透明的器皿上，即时为菜色加了不少分数。龙虾汁味道极鲜，带有浓浓的龙虾香，饭内亦有粒粒龙虾肉，分了一些给好朋友吃，她也大赞！braised iberico pork cheeknorwegian cod轮到甜品，大家都一致推崇中间的 Chinese tea ice cream，喜欢其茶味香浓，而且又不太甜，伴碟的朱古力蛋糕及香蕉件除了好看之外，亦好吃。朋友的乳酪雪糕配青苹果汁亦不甘示弱，简单清新。妈妈的Pana cotta 我就嫌太甜，红色的cherry sorbet 我也嫌太甜，但阿P却吃得津津有味。coconut cream with chinese tea ice-creamcelery and green apple essence with yoghurt ice-creamchocolate pana cotta with cherry sorbert本来想埋单走人，但服务员神神秘秘地向我奉上一个非常漂亮的蛋糕，原来是阿P偷偷地从Ms B's Cakery运送过来的。我们一起已经十一年了，我的喜好他一直都十分了解，这蛋糕的造型很合我心意，冇野可以挑剔㖞！Vasco亦十分大方，为我准备了祝贺咭。食完蛋糕，仲有 Vasco 的招牌 petite fours，用造型很特别的透明器皿盛着，presentation 是超靓的。黄色的是 miso macaron，味道非常特别，特别到我有点接受不了，椰丝棉花糖好可爱，红色的蛋白糖霜得个甜字。真心觉得有点可惜，香港又少了一间做得非常不错的 fine dining restaurant。餐厅会于五月开始进行大装修，会转做 casual Italian dining。到时我们一定会再帮衬！在此祝自己生日快乐，最希望的是身体健康，及阿P心情开朗。 继续阅读

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 sweetcornand 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. :> 继续阅读

本年没有什么时间去旅游，我俩唯有食左当去左。PMQ一直是我们常常爱来的地方，这次就趁特别日子来奢华一番。装潢格调很高，听说花了数千万。座位餐具等等一丝不苟。Amuse Bouche 让人花多眼乱，色味俱全。漂亮的五色牛油，还有不同的橄榄油选择。生带子和薄薄的一片红彩头质感很特别。烟熏的味道很突出。画龙点睛的是那一颗“珍珠”里的汤汁。一餐里最美味最特别的一道，汤里的鹅肝在口内融化。美丽的一幅画。主角西班牙红虾实在太鲜甜，配角亦令到味蕾大爆炸。生熟拿捏得很好的鸽子，非常软嫩。新颖的朱古力和威士忌冰配搭。一餐非常满意的Fine Dining，除了味道上乘外，亦带来新的视觉味觉感受，新的餐饮意念，让我俩度过了美满的一晚。 继续阅读

I still don't think PMQ will be a good location for restaurants but I guess the vast area can somehow compensate the remote feeling.  Like Vasco, they have 2 floors and it's so spacious that you won't have any pressure hanging out with friends from the bar area to the dining area.  Tables are nicely spaced out to provide privacy, at least, the conversation within the table won't be easily overheard by others.Here we go with the Chef tasting menu:  Bread loaf, extra virgin olive oil & butter I have to praise them for their seriousness in offering the bread loaf with a full varieties of olive oil and butter. I was also told that the restaurant doesn’t offer balsamic vinegar since the chef strongly against it. He thinks the balsamic vinegar will ruin the superb taste of their olive oil. Good point and I don’t mind trying the olive oil alone and the whole range was impressive. For the butter series (carrot & beetroot are interesting), I enjoyed the mushroom (truffle) one the most as it got along so well with the sour dough.  Amuse BouchesI am surprised to see 3 amuse bouches prepared by the restaurant, this was somehow quite pampering. Overall, their amuse bouches are creative and carefully planned to make each of them differently in order to tickle the palate of the diners before they kicked off the meal.  Marinated raw tuna with cold strawberry & tomato soup, pear sorbet, buffalo mozzarella cheese with caviarIt’s quite refreshing and not too heavy as a starter after I had loads and loads of bread intake with the butter & olive oil  Lightly charcoal smoked oyster with onion cream and small squid ragout & crispy breadThis dish wasn’t bad at all, creamy and smooth. However, I found the oyster to be overly fishy in taste…I wonder why.  Onion pastry - this came with the oyster and it's very yummy with its soft and crispy texture   Farmhouse egg with toasted butter & truffle foam + black truffle, duck consomme infused with citronelle, cured iberico pork loinI regretted that so much (still regretting) we added the truffle to match the farmhouse egg. If I read the menu carefully, I will never mess up the lovely truffle in a soup base dish. The scent of the truffle was gone and it became tasteless and soggy the moment it was soaked in the consommé. How could the waiter not reminded us on that but convincing us to have the truffle go with the consommé?!  Monkfish cooked with Basque dressing, grebiche sauce, white chocolate & mussel emulsionI believe I have said that a trillion times that it’s challenging to prepare a fish dish. Vasco has done a good job here as they picked the right fish – monkfish which is tender and not easily overcooked. The seasoning was fine and I am happy to see the interesting combination of white choco and mussel emulsion as it thickened and intensified the taste of the sauce.  Red Palamos prawn & sea urchin on a seabed with crustacean mayonnaiseThis dish scored 100 points on its presentation as the whole setting did relate to the theme of ocean and sand beach. But then, the ingredients alone were not impressive, the prawn tasted good on its own but I don’t see the chemistry among the other ingredients though.  Chargrilled French pigeon, pork & mushroom cannelloni, pineapple & liver toastThis was the best dish of the night and it went so well with the Red wine too. The pigeon was prepared to perfection and you could still see the warm red flesh inside which was so tender that I felt like eating the Wagyu beef, it almost melted in my mouth. I like the intense freshness taste of pigeon but not gamey at all and I finished everything on the dish since they were so good. A must try signature dish from Vasco!   Compressed melon with mint, lime jelly & yogurt bom bomNice portion and well mixed of ingredients. The compressed melon was a bit on the sweet side which I hope they can tone down it down in the future. Personally, I don’t really like the taste of yogurt bom bom, felt like it’s something from another planet to go with this dessert dish.  Textured chocolate with coffee & whisky ice shards I lost the image of this dessert which I like the most among all the others.  The slightly bitter chocolate just went so well with the coffee & whisky ice shards.  Lovely!   Petit four - very ordinary 继续阅读

一早已于openrice看到这餐厅一直想试今晚终于可以一试这元创方也真是第一次来餐厅位于Block B基于我们在Block 那边下车所以要行一段小路才找到餐厅不过一到餐厅我已被装修吸引了晚餐时间餐厅开七点我们也准时七点到达以我一看我们是第一位客人到达呢服务员们都礼貌而有笑容地打招呼好吧..入正题我们二话不说点了Chef Tasting Menu这晚餐每道菜味道都很平均先是几道前菜味道都比较清新带小许酸味正好吊吊胃口令我更是开胃而它们的面包送到我们面前温度刚好而无论是橄榄油还是牛油都各有五种选择牛油中我最爱的是原味和蘑菇味这个蛋也真是水准高蛋再加上黑松露这种我在其他餐厅也是试过但最为好味也算是这间因为我不吃虾所以友人就跟原本Menu而我就改为这款猪配上面头上的雪糕也十月金是够特别除此之外它们那款鱼吃到肉质并不是养鱼而是野生鱼而且每道菜的酱汁味道配对方面都很平均更喜爱的是我不爱甜吃但我可以接受到第一道甜品味道不会太甜而第二三道外观都很美但对不爱甜吃的我只能吃一小口今晚晚餐我极为满意味道..环境..服务满分最重要的是今晚以这水准来说绝对超值 继续阅读