*** Fine dining – Page 3

Hong Kong’s own luxury izakaya: Ronin

From the same founder of Yardbird, Ronin brings a high-end izakaya experience to Hong Kong with researched and innovative dishes based on Japanese ingredients.

I have been a couple of times and I liked the atmosphere. Here’s a write-up of my most recent visit in September 2019.

The visit

Ronin is located behind an unmarked black door in a non-descript building in Soho. It might be a bit difficult to find for first-timers. It is a long and narrow dining venue (similar to Okra Kitchen).

I had a reservation made on their website for the first turn and I showed up right at the opening at 6pm. There were already a few customers waiting outside. By the time I left the place was full (see picture above).

The best seats are at the counter and once again I was assigned seat number 1 at the end of the counter. As usual staff was friendly and very keen to discuss the dishes and make recommendations. The menu is divided in three parts: raw (sashimi), smaller (kind of appetizers), and bigger (dishes suitable for sharing among two people). While the menu is one-pager, there is enough choice to keep you pondering. I initially ordered one item from each category and then added an additional dish from the “smaller” dishes (the crabs).

I was offered a small appetizer with wakame (a type of edible seaweed) and dashi stock before starting with my dishes.

My first dish was two portions of sashimi. aji and kanpachi. The kanpachi came with a very nice sauce made out of Japanese long onion (negi). In general, all of their sashimi was carefully paired with sauces and dressings.

Then I tried their monaka burger. Monaka (a kind of Japanese wafer) is very popular in high-end restaurants nowadays, but this was the first time I saw it used as a burger bun. Meat was from Kagoshima.

My main dish was their quail deep-fried with sansho pepper and orange. This was an exquisite piece of meat.

Finally I tried their Sawagami crabs. This is a small freshwater crab from Japan, quite rare outside their homeland. Their were deep fried, but I expected them to be more tender. They were crunchy, but also very hard. The dish was less pleasant than expected.

The check

The check was 790 HKD, exactly 100 USD and a few dimes. Overall it was a pleasant experience, service was good and the ingredients top-shelf. There were some touches of creativity that made the menu unique (like the monaka burger).

As I mentioned for Okra, unfortunately the value proposition of these luxury restaurants in Hong Kong is problematic, even if I have to admit that it has its own original vibe.

Where in Hong Kong:
8 on Wo Lane (the black door!).
Website: https://roninhk.com/.

Late night dinner at Okra, Hong Kong

I ended up at Okra because I needed a kitchen open till late that could feed me after participating to an event. Okra staff answered my inquiry on their Facebook page and reassured me that the kitchen would be open until 11pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. That was a good beginning.

Okra Kitchen is a modern izakaya offering Japanese food with innovative elements. The Hong Kong restaurant I visited is a spin-off of Okra 1949 in Beijing and is headed by an American chef. They also have a room for omakase upstairs operating under called Okra Bar (but I rarely consider sushi omakase outside Japan).

The visit

I arrived at around 10pm and I was seated at the counter. The chair was reasonably comfortable. They have a delicious menu, a one-pager with few items, but more than simple snack food. There was more than enough for a good late dinner. They also had an impressive sake menu, but not something I am into.

My first dish was the eel and foie gras. On the plate the house made fresh water eel, honey miso duck liver and sanbaizu vinegar were all nicely arranged. It was nice, but also a very small portion.

Then I had their yellowtail sashimi with tofu skin (yuba), garlic oil and ponzu. I appreciated the pairing between sashimi and tofu.

Then I had their “pollo loco”. Wow, this was an incredibly good sandwich. It included a whole marinated thigh and leg (boneless) on Okinawan purple sweet potato toast with fresh cabbage & Crystal sauce. It was just perfect. A great homage to the art of the Japanese sandwich (sando).

Finally I had their Koji rice pudding with aged tangerine peel condensed hon mirin and seasonal fruit. Honestly I did not like this dessert.

The check

The check was 646 HKD (82.5 USD). That was expensive, especially considered that only one dish really stood out. Unfortunately the price point of this kind of restaurants in Hong Kong is problematic. It is natural to compare these izakaya with Ronin, they seem to cater to the same public, in the same area of Hong Kong, and in a fairly similar venue. I liked the service at Ronin more; at the cost of sounding a jerk I will mention that one of the staff members at Okra was almost oppressive, asking me if everything was good several times. Ronin perhaps has a bit more choices and is more focused on seafood, but the two venues are comparable.

Where in Hong Kong:
110 Queen’s Road West, G/f.
Website: http://www.okra.kitchen/.

The Kitchen Studios (Andaz) Sunday brunch in Shanghai

Online you find references to the Westin and more recently to The Regis hotel as the best weekend buffets in Shanghai. Bullshit. These are very noisy, crowded, and the food is so so. (The Westin is a nice place to see expats getting drunken if it is your fetish, though).

The Kitchen Studios’ restaurant of the Andaz Hotel in Xintiandi does an excellent job in putting together a well-managed Sunday buffet (only on Sundays from noon) with quality food and at a reasonable price point.

I have been a big fun for a long time. I still remember a couple of years ago when they were launching their weekend brunch and I was among the few diners taking advantage of their promotion at the time. Now the news is out and it is almost sold out, but still, in my latest visit in November 2019, I did not feel the pressure of the crowd and there were no shortages of food. It remains a pleasant experience.

The visit

Let me take you around the buffet.

There are two spacious dining rooms around the buffet area, with both sofas and normal chairs. The decor is modern. Even if the rooms got pretty soon almost full, I did not overwhelmed.

One of the main attraction is the sushi and sashimi boat. They have tuna, salmon, and amberjack.

More seafood: lobster claws and…

… and imported prawns and crab legs.

It was hairy crab season and they were available (not a fan here).

There was an oyster station.

They would provide three oysters per order (brought to your table). I usually have at least 6, so I kept ordering, no problem.

There were various dishes that could be ordered as many times as you wish. The foie gras quite good.

Every diner could order one lobster dish.

I had the egg benedict with lobster and caviar. Nothing special, but a nice way to get my Sunday eggs. The half lobster with cheese was preferred by my friends, but had too much dish in my opinion.

Since it was almost Thanksgiving, a big turkey was available at the roast meat station along with beef.

They also had Chinese food. I tried the lobster wonton soup. Again, nothing exceptional, but I appreciated the effort.

Another dish made on demand was the Shanghai pancakes. I would not recommend it as it is super-filling and you can have it around town for 2 USD or so. But again, I appreciate the effort to have some local food.

Some dim sum dishes were available.

Many more dishes I am not posting were available, including lamb meat, pork, and vegetables. I could not try them all!

The dessert station included many treats including freshly made waffles and ice cream.

They paid homage to the local milk candy called White Rabbit with a cake made from the same milk. (White Rabbit company was on a diversification spree at the time of this posting… perhaps it was a marketing initiative.)

Soft drinks and some wine were also included and freely available.

The check

The check was picked up by a friend so I do not have a picture to post. The price per person was 446 RMB (63 USD), way less than similar buffets on the Bund. I was extremely pleased by the efficiency of the operations (even during the first hectic half an hour after opening the service was pretty good and fast) and the quality of the food.

PS: for a luxury semi-buffet, my favorite remains the Cathay Room.

Where in Shanghai:
2F of Andaz Hotel 88 Songshan Lu.
In Chinese: 嵩山路88号.

Ministry of Crab experience in Shanghai

Ministry of Crab, the famous Colombo’s restaurant, has started an international expansion and opened a branch in Shanghai in 2019. I visited it twice.

The visit(s)

Ministry of Crab set shop in the ground floor of Barbarossa, a Middle-Eastern themed lounge/restaurant located inside People’s Park. Getting to the restaurant may be a small adventure. Tip: enter the park from the entrance near the Shanghai History Museum to maximize your chances to find it quickly.

The restaurant is finely appointed and seating is comfortable. The menu, called “Amendments” to their “Constitution” showcases crabs and prawns imported from Sri Lanka (shipped live twice a week).

In my first visit my main dish was one of their large prawns (the largest available at the time of my visit, around 400 grams). You can choose the sauce: pepper (my choice), chili, curry, garlic chili.

I also had their clams.

And a prawn skewer (the prawns came already de-shelled, which was nice).

In my second visit I went for one of their famous crabs. I opted for the “large” one (around 900 grams). They have bigger ones. They showed me the crab that was really not happy about the situation and tried to escape…

I was provided (and I used) the branded apron.

The crab came in its garlic chili sauce and was already cut in six parts. There was a substantial amount of meat, I think two people could have shared it. The sauce, that is a special creation of one of the founders of the restaurant, was really delicious.

Appropriately, I had a reserve of “cube” bread that was very useful to scoop up the sauce.

My second dish was the pot with prawns and curry. The great thing about this dish was that the prawns were already cleaned from the shell. The curry was perhaps too sweet, but still a great dish.

The check(s)

The first check was 563 RMB (80 USD). The big prawn accounted for around 50 USD.

The second check was 994 RMB (140 USD), the large crab was around 90 USD. I believe that this second menu could have been split by two (not excessively hungry) diners.

The seafood was expensive, but it was also really good. I think the checks were proportioned to the quality and it makes a great experiences for a seafood lover.

Where in Shanghai:
Inside People’s Park, 1/F, 231 Nanjing Xi Lu.
In Chinese: 南京西路231号1楼.
Website: https://www.ministryofcrab.com/

Three Portuguese restaurants in Macau compared

Macau, today a Special Administrative Region of China, from 1849 to 1999 was a concession administered by Portugal and you can see the European footprint everywhere, from the names of the streets, to the architecture and the food. Thanks to this history, in the small peninsula (home to just 800,000 people) you can find some excellent Portuguese dishes. Here’s three Portuguese restaurants in Macau that I tried in October 2019.

The luxury one: Guincho a Galera

The outpost of a Portuguese Michelin-starred restaurant, Guincho a Galera does not betray its five-star setting inside the historic Lisboa Hotel. The tasting menu is a good way to explore the fine dining offering of the restaurant. A lunch set starts at 42 USD for two courses and dessert. By the way, if you go, you do not want to miss the dessert cart.

The over-hyped one: Antonio

Located in Taipa village, Antonio seems to cater mostly to tourists. The food we tried was good, but it did not blow us away. Overall it was overpriced. It may be worth trying if you fancy a special dish with monkfish or Portuguese veal and do not worry about the check.

The good one: Albergue 1601

Located in the heart of a historic district facing a lovely courtyard, Albergue 1601 impressed us both for the service and the quality of the food. The value for money was also excellent. They have Portoguese codfish in various styles and at least one should be on your list.

Portuguese cuisine loved by locals: Albergue 1601 in Macau

Albergue 1601 is a Portuguese restaurant nestled in the heart of the historical neighborhood of St. Lazarus District. From October onwards, alfresco dining is also available for lunch in the courtyard under the canopies of giant camphor trees. I included in my itinerary because it popped up in reviews from locals and it was located at a reasonable walking distance from St. Paul’s ruins where I completed my first itinerary in the old city during a trip in October 2019. By accident, the courtyard was a occupied by a very noisy Halloween party (not related to the restaurant).

The visit

I and a friend did not have a reservation but we were quickly accommodated in one of the last table available.

Bread with some dip sauce was provided free of charge and so tap water.

We decided to share the seafood rice that ended up to be quite rich, with mussels, clams, shrimps, and squid. This was our appetizer.

Then each of us chose a type of Portuguese codfish (the signature fish was available in several styles). My choice was for the baked codfish with cornbread. I found this dish delicious and the flavor of the codfish was not compromised by the condiments.

My friend opted for a “spiritual codfish” that turned out to be a sort of porridge (some wine was also used).

Both dishes were very large! Each of them could have satisfied two people.

I need to praise the service. The staff was very attentive and proactive in solving small issues such as a wobbling table. They even offered to switch off an air conditioning unit that was pointing the cold air toward the table.

The check

Without the wine, the food check was around 700 MOP (or 43 USD per person). Considering the size of the dishes, the price was reasonable. I kind of regret that I could not try more dishes, but I was completely satisfied by what I had and I would certainly go back if I visit Macau again.

Where in Macau:
8 Calçada da Igreja de São Lázaro.
Website: https://www.albergue1601.com.

Authentic Portuguese dishes at Antonio in Taipa, Macau

Antonio was established in 2007 in Taipa Village by Portuguese national António Cohelo who decided to lead his career as a chef after years of service in the military army.

The visit

I made a reservation though Open Table for a Sunday lunch with a friend. I was attracted by the promise of authentic Portuguese dishes and top-shelf ingredients. The restaurant is located in a quiet street of Taipa village, a must-see neighborhood if you are touring Macau.

Outside the restaurant’s awards are proudly displayed. It is a “table” in the Hong Kong and Macau Michelin Guide.

Upon arrival we were offered some bread and butter and some olives.

We decided to share two appetizers. The first was the classic codfish cakes (pasteis de bacalhau). They were very delicate but strangely the codfish taste was almost absent. They were quite different from those I experienced in Lisbon.

The second appetizer was a squid salad. Everything about this dish was perfect: the squid, imported, was super-tender and the flavors were well balanced.

My friends has a squid ink rice with codfish. He was happy with it, but the flavor did no stand out.

I went for what probably was a boring dish: a lamb shank. The dish was perfectly executed with a nice set of vegetables.

We had dessert elsewhere.

The check

The final check was 1151 MOP (142 USD, or 71 USD per person). The food was ok, however, I left with mixed feelings. In the end the premium for imported ingredients dd not pay off and at times the flavors were bland. In comparison, I got more value in a restaurant like Guincho a Galera. Most of the diners were tourists. Unfortunately, the impression left is of an overpriced tourist restaurant, even if the food is not disappointing.

A tip: in front of the restaurant there is another restaurant by Antonio called Tapas de Portugal. It seems to have the same dishes but in smaller portions and comparatively lower prices. It may be a good starting point to try Antonio’s cuisine.

Ps: even if they double checked my name upon arrival, they communicated to Open Table that I was a no show. Quite annoying.

Where in Macau:
7 Rua dos Clerigos, Taipa
Website: https://antoniomacau.com.

Portuguese fine dining at Guincho a Galera in Macau

Guinchio a Galera is the first branch abroad of a Portuguese Michelin-starred restaurant. The mothership, Fortaleza a Galera, is located in Cascais. It did not get the star in Macau, though.

The restaurant occupies a large room on the third level of the Lisboa Hotel that was formerly hosting Joel Robuchon (now relocated to the fancier Grand Lisboa).

The visit

I decided to have the tasting menu, which is varied monthly, so do not expect to find exact the same dishes if you go for this menu.

The bread basket was promptly provided and was excellent. It included soft banana bread and classic Portuguese brad with bits of ham.

Their first dish was called “Black and white”. The black was squid ink and the white squid meat. Some uni was added for good measure. The squid was very tender. A very good dish.

The second dish was a creamy slow-cooked oxtail soup. Quite delicious.

The third dish (and first main) was a classic seafood rice. There was only a small layer of rice, while the plate was full of seafood: some Boston lobster, clams, shrimps, ad some crab meat. I was happy about he balance.

The fourth dish (and second main) featured pork in three styles. The pork crusted in herbs (and I believe slow-cooked) was the best.

Finally the waitress brought the dessert cart (very heavy to move!) to let me choose my dessert. I was allowed to pick two. I appreciated the showmanship involved and there were a lot of interesting desserts.

I ended up with a chocolate mousse cake and a rice pudding.

The check

The final expense after including water and service charge was 677.60 MOP (84 USD). Not a cheap meal, but overall acceptable. Service was commensurate with a five star venue. It was a nice lunch.

The lunch set option (418 MOP for three courses and dessert) was certainly a better deal.

Where in Macau:
3F, Lisboa Tower, Hotel Lisboa, 2-4 Avenida de Lisboa
Website: https://hotelisboa.com/dining/guincho-a-galera/?lang=en.

A “Neighborhood” restaurant in Soho (Hong Kong)

Lured by its inclusion in the list of Asia’s 50 best restaurants (2019), during my September 2019 trip to Hong Kong I made a reservation at Neighborhood, a bistro hidden in Soho. It is listed on some websites as a “French” restaurant, but the chef-owner, David Lai, plays also with Italian and Spanish recipes and ingredients.

The visit

I established contact with the restaurant on their Facebook page, then they asked for my mobile and we exchanged a couple of text messages to pinpoint a reservation. I was warned that I would get a bar chair, that was fine since I was alone.

The restaurant has an unassuming front in an alley.

The restaurant technically is located on Hollywood road, but you won’t find it there… rather you have to look for the nearby Man Hing Lane (shown above).

I was initially seated at the bar as expected. After 10 minutes one of my leg was numb… it was really an uncomfortable chair and luckily after some begging I was moved to a normal table.

I already knew that the menu changes frequently. I was a bit disappointed that the menu I was handed was remarkably shorter than others I saw online. The most interesting dish would have required a pre-order. Yet, there were some attracting dishes and the ingredients seemed to be handpicked.

My first order was an appetizer, Spanish salami that came with a fantastic ciabatta bread (apparently they buy the bread from a nearby award-winning French restaurant, Belon).

My first dish was a delicious beef tartar with salmon roe. The addition of salty fish eggs gave a nice touch to the overall flavor.

Meantime I was offered a complimentary dish: some grilled bell-peppers. Very nice.

My last dish was handmade garganelli (a type of pasta) with an interesting combination of spicy scallop skirts and beef tripe. It was quite spicy (I would say Korean style), but very good.

With the check, I was offered a complimentary French pastry.

The check

The final check was 610 HKD (78 USD) for three courses. Not outrageous and the food in the end was good. This was a luxury casual restaurant. If I was living in Soho and I was a millionaire, I would make it my kitchen. At the same time I feel I missed something since I could have planned my dinner in a more effective way if I had seen the menu beforehand. If you go, ask them to send you the menu, when available.

Where in Hong Kong:
G/F, 61-63 Hollywood Road, Soho, Central.
(But look for Man Hing Lane.)

Izakaya night in Kyoto: Sanji

Sanji is an izakaya in Kyoto that is serious about its fresh seafood. Here’s what I had.

The visit

I arrived at the beginning of the evening at 6pm and there was no problem to be accommodated. I was the first customer in fact!

The entrance was at the end of a private parking lot. Not unusual for izakayas and sushi bars.

I was seated at the counter.

They had a very interesting set menu reasonably priced, but I ordered from the menu instead. The menu was provided in electronic format on an Ipad and I could order directly from the device. There was enough English and pictures to make the process easy.